Lost and Found
by Buffy1987
Summary: Buffy had left Seeley to pursue a modelling career, but five years later, she wants to make amends and win him back. (Previously called Love That Cuts Through Bones but it was more of a working title, and I've decided to change it because the story kinda needed time to get on the right track)
1. Career vs Love

Buffy Anne Summers was a successful model, who travelled a lot all over the world and got really rich, but lately she started thinking that life was more than money, travels and occasional sex with people she never really cared about. She lived in Paris, which was the centre of the fashion of the world, with her sister Dawn. She should have been happy, but whenever she thought about happiness and its meaning, she remembered her ex boyfriend Seeley Booth.

With him, she was happy. She didn't need drugs and booze to feel ecstatic, and in Paris, she did need a dose of cocaine and champagne more often than she wanted to admit. But, they were too different... he was to become an FBI agent, and work was number one on his list, and Buffy wanted to travel the world and earn the money by doing what she loved most: wearing amazing clothes she knew she would never be able to afford if she wasted time working in Burger King.

She was a very pretty woman, and as soon as she applied for a job as a model, she got it. She was beyond happy, but Seeley couldn't share that happiness with her. He wanted her to move to Washington D.C. with him, get married and start a family. Buffy didn't like that idea, she was just twenty two and she wanted more than being just someone's wife.

"Seeley, please, try to understand me! We're young and in love, we should travel the world together and have fun and then, in a few years, start thinking about family and career. You are hot enough to even work as a model, with me!"-Buffy tried to get to him using enthused speeches, and of course, her kisses and sexy body he loved playing with.

"Buffy! I've studied hard to be able to join the FBI, and I can't throw it away! I can't be a model, Jesus! And you shouldn't either! That job ruins lives, it doesn't improve them! Women turn into skeletons and start doing drugs when things get hard and you're better than that!"

"No, I'm not! I can't do anything, really! I wanna be a model and I need you to support me!"

"I'm sorry, Buffy, but I don't want to work all day and then come home to an empty apartment while my girlfriend is traveling all over the world, selling her body!"

"I'm not gonna be a porn star, Seeley, I wanna be a model! So, you'd rather break up with me than support me!?"

"Maybe it's better that we break up, yeah. You should be able to do your thing and live your life the way you want to, and I wanna be a great FBI agent."

It still hurt her when she remembered the moment she said "Yeah, maybe it's for the best. But, if you change your mind, call me. I love you, Seeley."

"I love you too, Buffy, but it's obviously not enough."

She kissed him gently and left his apartment without taking her things and saying goodbye. She just left and never returned.

Now, five years later, she kept wishing she had stayed. She never had a relationship with anyone else, because she had no time for it and guys that she worked with weren't really available…they were mostly gay. Buffy herself started experimenting with women, but there was only one that she really enjoyed sex with: her fellow model co-worker, Faith Lehane, a gorgeous Bostonian with brown, wavy hair, deep brown eyes and adorable dimples that showed when she smiled. They were both from America and they got to Paris roughly at the same time, so they started hanging out. But, Buffy couldn't call their hook ups a relationship. They would just get drunk or high and hop into bed, fucking each other's brains out. It felt good, but even after 5 years of sex, Buffy didn't LOVE Faith, not the way she had loved Seeley. Sure, she cared about her, they were close and became good friends after a while, but it was just a friendship with benefits, on both sides.

"Yo, B! That guy you've been pining for since forever, with a funny name, Seal or something, is on TV."-Faith burst into Buffy's room and turned on the television.

"Seeley…"-Buffy whispered when she saw his, still so gorgeous face, on TV. He had become a successful FBI agent, and Buffy was proud of him, and not too proud of herself anymore.

"You still love him, don't you?"-Faith asked and actually felt a little jealous. She liked Buffy and had some feelings for her, ok, they were mostly lust related cause that blondie was totally amazing in the sack, but still… she didn't like thinking that that Seal guy could get his hands on B's body again.

"Yeah. It's very possible that I always will… but, I guess we're not meant to be. He's got a pretty partner, doesn't he?"-Buffy asked when she saw him holding Brennan's arm.

"Jealous?"-Faith asked and Buffy couldn't deny it.

"Can't help being jealous even though I know I have no right to be. I was such a stupid bitch, it's unbelievable."

"You followed your dream, B, and it worked out. You're filthy rich!"

"Why don't I feel happy then? Why do I need alcohol and cocaine to feel fake happiness?"

"You're forgetting mind blowing orgasms I give you."-Faith grinned cheekily and turned off the TV because Buffy looked like she might try to jump into it and kiss Seal. Faith decided she would call him Seal no matter how many times Buffy corrected her.

"Faith… I think I'm gonna book a plane ticket."-Buffy said, looking dreamy.

"What? You can't, we have a show tomorrow night!"

"I need to see him! I have to try to win him back… before that Brennan woman really catches him."

"What if she already caught him? Are you gonna fly back here, get wasted and beg me to fuck you?"-Faith suddenly jumped on top of Buffy, pinning her hands down on the bed.

"Maybe."-Buffy said vaguely, looking into Faith's deep brown eyes that were full of lust…and a bit of jealousy and anger, which was a nice mix.

"Is Dusk home?"-Faith asked and started rubbing Buffy's hot centre.

"No."-Buffy said shortly, her breathing speeding up. Faith always knew how to turn her on.

"Good, I'll make you forget about Seal."

"Seeley."

"Whatever."-Faith whispered and pushed two fingers inside her girlfriend's hot body. She surprised herself when she realized she didn't wanna lose Buffy and even more surprised when she realized that she was jealous of Seal for having Buffy's heart. She had her body, she had it all, in all the ways she wanted to have it, but she could never get her heart.

"Ohhh Faith…"-Buffy moaned and spread her legs wider, enjoying Faith's skilled fingers that were making her head spin… but, still, she couldn't stop thinking about Seeley now that she saw him on TV. It was impossible, he was impossibly gorgeous and he looked way too cozy with that Brennan woman. Buffy was jealous and her thoughts kept wandering to Washington D.C. even while Faith was fucking her hard and fast.

She came, really hard, and Faith grinned, licked away her juices and said: "Fine, go find your Seal guy, but I know you'll come back for more. You always do."

She left without saying another word, leaving Buffy naked on the bed. That was their thing, they never cuddled, they just fucked and left each other as soon as they started feeling their legs again.

Buffy walked to the shower, slowly, since her legs were still a bit wobbly, to clear her head. And as soon as she cleared her head, she stepped out of the shower and booked a plane ticket for Washington D.C.

"Buffy? Why are you packing? Where are you going?"-Dawn asked her sister, who had rummaged through all of her closets to find clothes to take to the States. Yes, Buffy had CLOSETS full of clothes, it was a dream come true, but now she didn't care about it anymore. She just wanted Seeley back.

"I'm going to Washington, I need to see Seeley."

"What? Really? What if he's married or something?"-Dawn asked, she didn't wanna see her sister heartbroken again.

"I've seen him on TV today, he's got no ring on his finger but he looked really… comfortable with his partner, a very pretty woman… and I…"

"You got jealous. But, Buffy, it's been five years, you've both changed. How do you know it's gonna work? And, what does Faith think about it?"

"I never stopped loving him, Dawnie. And I know he never stopped loving me. I know it. Faith… I don't know, she acted all cool, five by five, but I think she's jealous."

"Of course she is, Buffy, she cares about you even though she'd never admit it out loud."

"Dawnie… you always said I was stupid for leaving Seeley, I thought you'd be happy to hear about this."

"I would have been happy if it had happened five months after you'd left, but five years… I really don't want you to get your heart broken and then lose yourself in the cloud of booze and cocaine. Losing him again might actually kill you."-Dawn said, she was really worried about her sister.

"I'll be fine, Dawn. Promise. I just gotta do this."

"Fine, do it. But, maybe I should go with you. To make sure you're ok if he turns you down."

"It's not necessary, Dawnie. I'll be fine. It'll all be fine."-Buffy said, trying to convince herself too. She really didn't know what she would do if she heard Seeley say 'Buffy, I don't love you anymore, I'm in love with Brennan and we're getting married' or something like that. Her heart started going wild and she snorted a line of cocaine to calm down and continued sorting out her luggage.

"Oh, Buffy."-Dawn whispered, but decided not to say anything else because she knew there was no point. She'd tried to talk to Buffy about the coke problem, they'd fought and cried too many times, and she was done with it. Dawn just hoped that Buffy would be able to survive if Seeley turned her down.

The flight to Washington felt like it lasted forever. Every nerve in Buffy's body was on fire, despite the coke she had taken before the flight. Soon she would be back in the States and she would see Seeley again. She'd see that wonderful man and hopefully she'd manage to get him back.

As soon as she landed, she took out her phone and dialed Seeley's number. She still knew it by heart, and she hoped that he still used it. Her heart beat faster when she heard the tone that said his phone was ringing.

"Hello?"-a woman's voice replied and Buffy froze. "Hello?"-Brennan said again, but Buffy couldn't form a word. She stood there, her world crumbling down, and she hanged up.

"Booth? Your phone just rang, but no one was on the line."-Bones said to her partner, who was getting ready to go and examine another crime scene. He was humming a melody and was in a pretty good mood. His feelings for Bones had changed, he realized he liked her more than just as a partner, and they finally kissed and it felt pretty darn good. His heart beat faster and he never thought it would happen again after Buffy had left him to become a freaking model.

As much as he hated to think about her, he couldn't help following her career. She was stunning, and she always appeared to be single. The only person she kept appearing on TV with was another American model, Faith Lehane, and sometimes her sister Dawn, who also turned into a beautiful young woman.

He took the phone from Brennan's hand and checked out the number. He didn't know it, it seemed to be an European number and the only person he knew that lived in Europe was Buffy. It wasn't possible that she called. Someone probably dialed the wrong number.

Still, he was nervous as he dialed that number.

"Seeley?"-Buffy answered as soon as her phone rang, barely able to pronounce his name, her voice was shaky and a bit husky.

"Buffy?"-Seeley answered and noticed Bones' worried look. She didn't know Buffy, but she'd heard enough about her to come to a conclusion that she was bad for her partner. Besides, she started having real feelings for Booth, and she didn't want Buffy to destroy him again.

"It's me. I've just landed in Washington and… I'd like to see you."

"I'm about to leave for work, I probably won't be back home until late tonight… but, I can call you when I'm done."

"Ok… sounds good."-Buffy said, feeling a bit disappointed cause she would have to wait for so long, but her heart beat faster when Seeley said:

"See you later then."

"Yeah… missed you, Seeley. You have no idea."-she said, almost whispering and she felt a bit of real heartache when he said just:

"Gotta go." and hanged up.

He sounded so cold, so unlike her Seeley, who always sounded so gentle… He would have turned the whole world for her, and she was so selfish she couldn't understand how hard he'd worked to become an FBI agent… She wanted to be more important than his job, but she couldn't make him more important than her dream to become a model. She always remembered what he'd said to her about being a model, being skinny and loaded with drugs. Back then she had been sure he was wrong about it, but now, she couldn't say it anymore.

"I'm not the woman he was in love with anymore. She's gone."-Buffy whispered to herself and swallowed tears as she walked to the nearest café.

"Are you ok?"-Bones asked Booth when they got in his car and drove away. He'd stopped humming the melody and looked like he was brooding. Confusion and old pain were still drawn on his handsome face and Brennan didn't like it.

"I'm not sure what I'm feeling. Never thought I'd hear from Buffy again… and now she's suddenly back and I don't think I've fully processed it yet."

"Do you wanna talk about it? To really process it?"

"No. We've got work to do. Talking about Buffy can wait."

"Do you still love her, Booth?"

"What? No! Of course not! It's been five years and I'm over her."

"Why do you sound so defensive then?"-Bones asked, and Booth rolled his eyes.

"I don't! Look, we have to think about work, not Buffy. And, we should also think about us, Bones. We kissed. It meant something to me."

"I know it did, but Buffy wasn't back in the States then. I know you loved her deeply."

"Loved. Past tense."-Booth said and sped up. He wanted to get to the crime scene as fast as possible to deal with the less confusing dead bodies.

"If you say so."-Brennan said, and decided to drop the subject because her partner looked like he might drive over the cliff if she kept pushing him to talk about Buffy. She didn't know if he looked so flushed because he was mad at Buffy for coming back or if he still loved her. He sure looked like he was fighting himself, and Bones was relieved when they finally arrived to their destination because he kept squeezing the wheel so hard she thought it might have snapped if he'd gone on driving for a bit longer.


	2. First Non-Date

Buffy booked a room in a five star hotel and spent hours trying to decide what to wear. She had a bunch of clothes, but she wanted to blow Seeley's mind away. She wanted to be perfect for him at least visually.

She was a nervous wreck, dying to see him again, and terrified of it at the same time. She had no idea how she would act if he just told her to get lost and never contact him again. She wanted to stop feeling so crazed, but she decided not to rely on drugs and booze this time; she wanted to be clean to remember every second of her meeting with Seeley, no matter if it turned out good or bad. So, she flushed all the coke down the toilet and drank herbal tea instead of champagne.

"C'mon, Buff, just get dressed already."-she whispered to herself and picked a stunning green dress that looked so good with her green eyes. Seeley wasn't a fan of much make up so she just used a bit of lip gloss and mascara.

Then she sat on the couch and started flipping through TV channels, trying to find something fun to distract her… Her phone beeped and she hoped it was him, but it was just Faith: 'HIYA, B. GET LUCKY OR U COMIN' BK SOON? JEAN PAUL IS PRETTY PISSED CAUSE U BAILED. IT'S BORING HERE W/O U.'

It was Faith's way to tell her she missed her and Buffy had to smile. She replied: 'HAVEN'T SEEN HIM YET, BUT HE SHOULD BE HERE SOON. I'LL LET YOU KNOW HOW IT GOES. TELL JP TO CHILL :P BTW, MISS U 2.'

Her phone rang just when she was gonna catch it and it made her jump a little. She took a deep breath and answered Seeley's call.

"Hello… started thinking you wouldn't call at all."

"I started thinking that I shouldn't call. But… well…. Where should I pick you up?"

"I'm glad that you called, Seeley. I know I don't exactly deserve a second chance, but… I'd love to talk to you and seriously can't wait to see you. I'm at Four Seasons."

"Four Seasons, huh? You really are a celebrity. See you in ten minutes."

Buffy thought she heard a bit of contempt in his voice, and it hurt her, but at least he was coming to pick her up. Her hands were shaking and her heart was stuck in her throat, pulsating wildly. She caught her cup of tea and sipped slowly, wishing it had the immediate effect on her. It wasn't helping her relax and it didn't even taste so good.

She exited the hotel and waited in the front, dying to catch some air because her lungs felt clogged. She saw a 2008 Toyota Sequoia stop and then Seeley opened the window and said "Hop in, Summers."

Her legs felt a bit weak, but she forced a smile and walked to his car as fast as she could.

He drove away very fast, and he barely glanced at her and said "You've lost weight."

"And you've gained some."-Buffy joked, but he didn't find it amusing so she quickly added "But, you actually look more handsome than ever."

"Buffy… we're going to have dinner now and talk like adults, about the last five years. But, don't think that you can just come back to my life and make it chaotic again. I've changed. I'm not a youngster who thinks he can save the world anymore. Now I'm a man who's seen too much and had no one to share it with, except for my co-workers, of course."

He never even looked at her while saying that, but she could read him better than anyone. He was still hurt and mad. She couldn't really blame him for that…

"I'm sorry, Seeley. If I could go back in time, I would change everything. I should have stayed with you. I was selfish and thoughtless… I'm so sorry."

Her green eyes filled with tears and shone like sapphires, and Seeley couldn't help swallowing hard when he saw the look on her face.

"So am I, Buffy. But, what's done is done. You have to move on. I was just starting to and then you showed up again."

"You have a thing for your partner, right? She's pretty. Saw you guys on TV."-Buffy said, trying to sound nonchalant, but in fact she was jealous and hurt more than she could handle. She was seriously dying for a drink or something to take the edge off.

"Bones is pretty awesome. She's pretty, yes, and so smart, a total genius… and she's loyal, a great partner and a friend that I can count on without thinking she might just disappear one day."

"I didn't just disappear, Seeley. You let me go. You could have stopped me."

"What would be the point of stopping you? You would have started hating me for it. Looks like you were right, you chose the right career. You're a star; you're so rich you can afford staying in Four Seasons…"

"Everyone mistakes being rich and famous for being happy. I was one of those people, and I was wrong. The only time I was really happy was when I was with you. "-Buffy said and gently placed her hand on his. She flinched when he quickly pulled it away.

"You chose your career over me, Buffy. Now you have it, and you don't have me, it was YOUR CHOICE so you have no right to cry about it now. Did you really think that I would see you and kiss you and forget about the last five years? I don't know you anymore, you don't know me and you have to stop living in the past."

"Just don't shut me out. We can get to know each other again… we can reconnect. I'm not the same Buffy that left you. She's long gone, just like that version of you I had fallen in love with. Maybe you won't even like this new Buffy, cause I don't like her too much, but… give me a chance. I wanna make amends. I want us to be at least friends."

"Do you really think we can be just friends? Buffy, I fell in love with you the first time I laid my eyes on you at that party at Wesley's when we were seventeen. I never stopped having feelings for you, but it doesn't mean that I can just let you back in again. I have a whole new life, and Bones is a great part of it. She's…"

"Amazing, I know. Smart and gorgeous. But, you're not in love with her. I know that. I know you and that look in your eyes when you're in love… you used to look at me like… like I was the only thing in the world that you could see."

Booth stopped the car and they got out of it, and finally looked each other in the eyes. There was no 'I love you so much I don't see anyone or anything else' look in his eyes, but there was something besides hurt and anger. A little spark that made Buffy's body flush with desire.

She could see that he was digging through her eyes, trying to read her mind. He couldn't help getting lost in her beautiful green eyes that once had a spark of light and love dancing inside. That spark was gone, they seemed to be a darker shade of green now…

He needed a moment to collect his thoughts and form a sentence. "I don't think I'll ever look at anyone that way again."-he said and it broke Buffy's heart a little. Maybe she didn't deserve his love, but he deserved to feel love and be loved again.

"Seeley, I…"

"Let's just get in the restaurant. I'm actually getting hungry."

"Yeah, me too. I was too nervous to eat."-Buffy admitted and they walked to the restaurant in silence.

They sat down, facing each other and Booth ordered a bottle of wine. None of them could wait to drink some to stop feeling so tense.

"So, how's in Paris?"

"It's a beautiful city, people are so friendly and romantic, but the language barrier can be exhausting sometimes. Thank goodness there were a few American girls with me or I would have lost my mind right at the beginning."-Buffy smiled and sipped her wine.

"And in that friendly and romantic city, you never found anyone… romantic? You know…"-Booth asked and looked into his glass of wine. Buffy thought he was absolutely adorable when he did that.

"It's not that I've been a nun for the last five years, but… I never fell in love."-Buffy said and looked into his deep brown eyes for a second and then also started staring at her glass. It was suddenly very interesting.

"I saw you on TV many times; I even started paying more attention to fashion. You notice I don't wear just black clothes anymore", he tried to joke and Buffy had to smile a little. " I never saw you with anyone, except for your sister, and that brunette model… Faith? The papers never wrote a single thing about your love life."-Booth admitted, looking a bit embarrassed.

"They can't write about something non-existent."-Buffy said, smiling for the first time because Seeley was curious about her love life. "Well, I haven't been a nun, but there was no other guy for me. I've been having a kinda strange relationship with Faith…"

She noticed a surprised look on Seeley's face, but he didn't comment anything, so she continued: "We're not dating, but we've been having sex. I care about her, but as a friend… we're not in love. We've just been keeping each other company. Faith often said she was keeping me warm for you, but when I decided to come here, I noticed she wasn't entirely ok with that."

"Never thought you'd end up with a woman… Gotta say I'm surprised."

"Trust me, I never thought I would either."-Buffy chuckled and sipped more wine. "Just like I never thought I'd drink champagne and expensive wine everyday or start snorting cocaine and taking pills to be able to sleep."

Booth looked at her, surprised, again, but this time there was a bit of worry and sadness in his gaze.

"Told you I wasn't the woman who left you that day. Trust me, that Buffy is long gone. The only thing I have in common with that Buffy is that I love you as much as she did, if not more. Seeley, I'm sorry. I'll never be able to show you just how sorry I am exactly."

"I can't believe you really started doing drugs."-he sounded so disappointed, Buffy wanted to slap herself for being so stupid.

"Fashion, fame, pressure… I'm not looking for excuses, I'm just being realistic. I wasn't ready for success and facing it without you. It all happened too fast and I almost lost it."

"Well, I'm glad you're ok now. You… are still beautiful."-Booth said and Buffy smiled widely, feeling heat in her cheeks.

"Thank you."-Buffy said, smiling and she put her wine aside and poured herself a glass of water. It was time for some serious cleansing and doing amends. Really doing amends, not just saying she would do it and then forget about it as soon she got offered a bit of that magic white powder.

"I ran into Willow and Tara a few weeks ago. They adopted a really cute little baby girl and named her Annie. They had a business trip to Washington, cause Willow is, as you know, a pretty darn good Chemist. Also, Xander's a dad too. He and Anya have a really cute little boy. They named him Liam."-Seeley decided to get to some lighter subjects because he noticed that Buffy really had some serious problems of her own to deal with. She needed something to help her get her spirits up. Maybe she didn't exactly deserve it, but Seeley was a good guy and she had been the love of his life.

She still was the love of his life; he just didn't want to admit it to himself.

"I know, I still talk to Willow and Xander. We Skype sometimes, so I've seen their kids. Can't wait to see them in person! Geez, I haven't even told them I was back here… I'll have to fly to L.A. Maybe it's really time for me to come home."

The waiter brought them food that looked and smelled absolutely divine, and they both immensely enjoyed their meals… They also enjoyed some friendly banter and giggles that turned into laughter when they both got a bit more comfortable.

Buffy knew that they still had a long way to go, but this was a good start. He didn't tell her to leave and never come back, he apparently enjoyed her company and it was more than she could have ever hoped for.

Booth, who was very careful about letting anyone in, was surprised when he realized that Buffy still was able to make him relax and laugh so easily. It should have been tougher for her after all their time apart-which was entirely her fault-but, for some reason he couldn't just tell her to leave. He couldn't tell her that he never wanted to see her again, because the truth was that he did want it.

The problem was that he wasn't supposed to want it. He was supposed to have dinner with Buffy as quickly as possible and then go to Bones' place to tell her what a horrible waste of time meeting Buffy had been.

But, he couldn't do that.

He was kinda afraid of facing Brennan. He cared about her, and this dinner with Buffy… it wasn't supposed to mean anything, but it did.

'Goddamn women.'-Booth thought when he left Buffy in front of the Four Seasons hotel and when she gently kissed his cheek and said goodnight.

He didn't kiss her, but he wrapped his jacket around her bare shoulders and wished her a good night.

"It was the best night I've had in five years."-Buffy said and walked away, smiling.

"It didn't suck as much as I thought it would."-Booth yelled after her, but they just grinned at each other and then he jumped into his car and drove home.


	3. Coffee Good

**AN/ I'M SORRY FOR BEING MIA FOR SO LONG. I'M SURE YOU GUYS THOUGHT I'D GIVEN UP ON THIS STORY- WHICH IS NOT THE CASE. THANKS FOR FOLLOWING AND LIKING AND I HOPE THIS CHAPTER WILL BE A NICE SURPRISE AFTER SUCH A LONG TIME.**

For the first time in five years, Buffy slept like a baby without any alcohol or pills, and despite the jet lag... in the morning, she just jumped out of bed, feeling all chirpy. The first thing she did was checking her phone, it was 7:30 and she had two unread messages. One was from Dawn and it said 'HEY, SIS, HOW DID IT GO WITH SEELEY? FAITH'S BEEN HERE WITH ME SINCE YOU LEFT, JUST PLAYING VIDEO GAMES, SMOKING AND DRINKING-BUT SHE DOESN'T MISS YOU, OF COURSE, SHE'S JUST BORED. OH YOU TWO. CALL ME.'

The second one was from Jean Paul, who didn't sound very happy. Buffy could hear him say her name with that funny accent "Boo-fy". 'BUFFY, I AM NOT CONTENT WITH YOU. YOU JUST LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING A WORD. EVERYTHING READY HERE, AND YOU GO TO AMERICA TO FIND YOUR _AMI INTIME._ NOT NICE. ADIEU.'

Nothing from Seeley, but that didn't mean anything. She didn't even think he would call or text, it wasn't really his thing. He rarely called or texted even when they were dating, he would just come over or pick her up to go somewhere.

She quickly replied to Dawn: 'HEY, DAWNIE. IT WENT BETTER THAN I'D EXPECTED. GOD, HE STILL MAKES MY HEART BEAT LIKE A DRUM. I HAVEN'T BEEN SO HAPPY IN A VERY LONG TIME! KEEP YA FINGERS CROSSED FOR ME… FOR US. TELL FAITH TO CALL THAT GUY… ROBIN? HE'S BEEN INTO HER FOR AGES. TALK SOON. XX'

She frowned once again at Jean Paul's text, but decided to ignore it for now. She wasn't even sure if she'd return to Paris. That's why she told Dawn to tell Faith to give Robin a chance. He was obviously a nice guy and Faith deserved someone to love her the way she loved Seeley. Sex with Faith was awesome and she knew she'd miss her, but she wasn't Seeley. No one was him, not even close to him.

She smiled when she entered the shower and thought about his smile and the sound of his laughter. His deep brown eyes still burned all the way through her flesh and bone to the depths of her heart. Hot water ran down her body and Buffy's hand ran to her inner thighs and gently caressed her hot spot, imagining Seeley's fingers touching her.

That guy sure had skilled fingers… and tongue and hands and… everything about him was perfect, it felt like he was made to please her, to make her world spin out of control and explode into unbelievable passion and desire. She knew she could make him feel the same and she just couldn't wait to do it.

His body was always toned, his skin smelled and tasted delicious… their connected bodies felt like a complete puzzle, a perfect puzzle of happiness and peace.

A little moan escaped her when her fingers found the spot and she imagined Seeley again, her body still remembered every kiss and caress he'd given her. No one else made her ever come close to that feeling… Her body remembered Seeley, it had its own love and desire for him. No matter how hard she'd tried to forget certain things, how hard she'd tried to replace him, using booze, drugs and Faith, it never worked. There was always some little thing that would remind her of Seeley and all the feelings would come back crashing down on her.

"Ohhh god…"-she moaned as she came, still feeling dazed… She finally managed to shower and dry up, and then she put his jacket on her naked body. She wanted Seeley to smell her and think about her, think about all the things they'd done together, to each other…

Feeling awake and happy enough to leave her hotel room, Buffy got dressed and left. She bought coffee with soy milk at the closest coffee shop and started walking all over the city. Having spent most of her life in Los Angeles and Paris, Buffy got a bit lost in her thoughts, and then also in Washington D.C.

She kept looking around, trying to see something familiar.

"Jeffersonian. That's where Seeley works."-Buffy smiled when she saw a huge building. It was a sign! She felt like fate pulled her to that building somehow.

Just waltzing inside wasn't that easy, so she bought Seeley's favorite doughnuts and coffee, and then she remembered that he also had colleagues, and that they might be feeling puckish too. It made her wonder what Dr. Brennan liked. Except Seeley, of course. Jealousy made her shiver a little, but she shook it away, bought some more snacks and sweets and headed to Jeffersonian.

Heart pounded in her chest, and she held on to bags with her bought goods like they were life jackets.

"Check out the hot blonde…"- Hodgins said to Zack, who was more into guys, but he followed fashion life and recognized her straight away.

"That's Buffy Summers, a famous model. Wow."

"Buffy… as in… Booth's ex?"-Hodgins' jaw dropped and he barely managed to pull it back up when Buffy introduced herself.

"Hi… I'm Buffy Summers. Looking for Agent Booth. Is he here by any chance? Uh… I've brought coffee and sweets."-she smiled, feeling like she was bribing them somehow, but she really didn't care.

"I'm Hodgins. Jack Hodgins."

"And I'm Zack Addy. Been your fan since you first got on stage!"-the cute, obviously gay guy said to her and Buffy couldn't help smiling.

"Jack and Zack, nice to meet you both."-she shook hands with them and took one of Zack's notebooks to sign it.

"Wow… thank you. Oh my god. Wow."-Zack kept looking from Buffy to his notebook and Hodgins couldn't help grinning "Geeking out much?"

"I'm sorry! Couldn't help it! Um, Buffy… you asked about Booth?"-Zack finally remembered why that perfect model actually stepped into the Jeffersonian building.

"Yeah. Is he here?"

"He's in a lab with Bones."-Zack said and his eyes widened. He knew that B&B had some feelings about each other, but now that the third… or the first B was in the picture again… uh oh, smelled like drama.

"I'm going to find them."-Hodgins said, just to make sure he could still speak, he felt like his brain and mouth got disconnected. He sipped his coffee, showed thumbs up to Buffy and hurried off.

Buffy was nervous and she felt really awkward, she hadn't expected to find a fan here. And now that fan was gawking at her like he still couldn't believe she was real. She couldn't really understand that, there was nothing perfect about her at that moment.

"Hey, Buffy, what are you doing here? Wasn't expecting you. Uh… this is Bones. Umm, Temperance Brennan."

Two women shook hands and smiled politely, but Buffy noticed suspicious looks the woman kept throwing at her.

"Actually, I got lost. Started looking around and when I saw this building I remembered you worked here and I went to a coffee shop and got you all coffees and sweets and then I got here hoping to find you because I wanted to tell you that last night's dinner was perfect and I would like us to hang out again soon of course if you don't think I'm crazy showing up here and thinking you'd rather not see me again and that would also be ok but I really hope that's not the case cause…"

"Buffy, take a breath."-Seeley smiled, her ability to ramble hasn't changed. She actually gasped for air and blushed a little when he said that.

"Thanks for coffee. We're a bit busy now, gotta head to a crime scene, but Four Seasons is on our way so I can give you a lift. And, I'd like to see you again, but that probably won't be possible the next few days, we've just got called about a really… special case."

Buffy's heart sank when she heard she wouldn't be able to see him for days, but she smiled cause he offered her a lift and gave her one of those special Buffy's smiles.

Everybody noticed that smile cause no one had ever seen Booth smile LIKE THAT. Not even Bones, who felt a pang of jealousy. She'd heard so much about Buffy and she hadn't been her biggest fan, but seeing that cute blondie in front of her, babbling and losing her breath because she was so nervous and obviously still head over heels for Booth made her soften up just a little bit.

"I might go to L.A. then, to visit the Gang and kill the time. I was hoping you'd come with me, but I can go alone too."

"Yes, you should. And when you come back we can go for coffee."

"Great!"-Buffy smiled widely and Seeley took a cup of coffee from her hand, accidentally-on-purpose touching her hand, which sent jolts of electricity through her body.

They were just gonna head to the exit when Angela ran toward them. "I've got some news about the case!"

She abruptly stopped when she noticed Buffy. She looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't remember where she knew her from.

"She's BUFFY SUMMERS, Angela! My favorite model!"-Zack exclaimed

"And Booth's ex girlfriend!"-Hodgins said and grinned when he saw Angela's jaw dropped a little, just like his had dropped earlier.

"Oh my god. Thought you were a myth or something. I'm Angela."

"You were myth-taken. It's very nice to meet you."-Buffy said and smiled. She felt relieved when Booth hurried them all cause he needed to head to the crime scene with Bones.

It was nice meeting people from Seeley's world, but Buffy never expected such reactions.

"You're a celeb in Jeffersonian too."-Seeley tried to joke, but Buffy thought that joke wasn't funny to him. He obviously very much disliked her career and she really couldn't blame him.

"Umm, yeah, wasn't expecting it."

Bones sat at the front seat and Buffy hopped in the back, feeling a bit left out. She wanted to kick Brennan out and jump on her Seeley and kiss him passionately, so passionately that he'd immediately forget about everything but her lips on his. She almost growled cause she couldn't do it, but then she figured that maybe that little stay in L.A. with her friends might do her good.

It might even give Seeley time to clear his head and realize how much he misses and loves her.

"Thanks for the ride. I'll call you when I get back. It was nice to meet you… Dr. Brennan."-Buffy wasn't really sure how to call Seeley's partner, who was really quiet the whole time.

"You can call me Temperance. It was nice to meet you too."-Bones said, surprised cause she actually meant it.

Buffy smiled, said bye and ran toward her room, impatient to pack and buy a ticket to Los Angeles.


	4. LA Woman

As soon as she stepped out of the plane, breathed L.A. air, and soaked up the sun, Buffy felt like a new woman. L.A. was her city; she loved it and missed it so much, especially when it got really rainy and cold in Paris.

Willow and Xander were waiting for her at the airport and she ran towards them as soon as she saw them, pulling her luggage behind her like a mad woman.

"Oh guys, I've missed you!"-Buffy exclaimed and held on to both of them for a pretty long time.

"Missed you too! I couldn't believe when I heard your message on my voice mail! Tara can't wait to see you! She would have come, but Annie's been a little grumpy today so she stayed home… you have to come stay with us!"

"Anya and I live in the walking distance from Will so we'll just walk there a bit later, with Liam."

"Can't wait to see your kids! I just have to buy them gifts on our way home, this all happened so quick, I had no time to plan anything properly."

The three friends started walking towards Xander's car, chatting and laughing. It felt like they weren't even separated…

Buffy told them she'd seen Seeley and Willow squealed enthusiastically. "Ohhh, Buffy! I always thought you were meant to be, I'm sure he'll forget and forgive you everything. Not that I think you need forgiveness for pursuing your dreams."

"I made a mistake, Will, I know that now. I was young and stupid. But, that excuse is starting to sound idiotic to me as well."

"I'm actually team Faith. She's gorgeous and funny and she gets my love for comic books and video games. Never had much in common with Seeley."-Xander admitted and Buffy had to smile. His description of Faith was pretty accurate. Buffy often thought she'd be a good match for Xander, cause they were booth geeky and goofy.

"I do care about Faith… but we don't have a deep, meaningful relationship. It's mostly just sex…"-Buffy said and she had no idea that Faith was having a very similar conversation with Dawn…

It was around two in the morning when Faith stumbled in Buffy's apartment in Paris, tumbling with the keys and slamming the door louder than she thought she would. She was drunk as a skunk and she almost fell over trying to take off her boots-again, making a lot of noise, which made Dawn get out of bed, still half asleep.

"Faith? What are you doing here at this hour? Geez, you're wasted!"-Dawn frowned when Faith swayed and barely managed to keep her balance holding on to the wall.

"Buffy… she re-really left."-Faith said, slurring her words very badly.

"Come on, Faith… it's 2 am. Don't do this to yourself. Come here, let me help you."-Dawn put her arm around Faith's waist and led her to the couch.

Faith lay down and lit a cigarette and Dawn frowned cause she didn't like smoking in the apartment, but she decided she'd let her do it just once. Faith really looked like a mess and Dawn went to get some water for the girl.

"I thought she'd come back."-Faith whispered, and accepted a glass of water from Dawn, and then inhaled a deep drag.

"I thought you WEREN'T in love with her."-Dawn hated to see Faith like that, but she thought it was good for her to finally talk about Buffy and admit her feelings.

"She's… Dawn, I'll never have her again. She's probably naked with that Seal guy now, letting him touch her all over… moaning his name and… telling him she loves him."-Faith said and smashed her glass against the wall.

"Faith, come on… don't be like this. Tell her how you feel… you should have told her before, maybe you should have convinced her to stay."-Dawn sat next to Faith and gently squeezed her hand.

"She's been in love with him forever. I never had a real chance. I was just her fuck buddy, that's all she wanted from me."

"She cares about you, Faith, she never wanted to hurt you. Faith, you can't make your heart love someone."

"But why can't she love ME? What's wrong with me?! And what's so special about HIM?!"

Dawn had never seen Faith cry before, and when tears ran down her face, she had no idea what to say to her. She just pulled her into a hug and held her tightly…

"Dawnie, I can't be here without her… I kept telling myself I just wanted her, that I didn't love her, but now that she's gone… I can't deal. I miss her."

"Faith… she's gonna come back. Maybe things between her and Seeley won't even work out."

"Right. They're like Romeo and Juliet or something. I'm more like… a breathing sex doll."

She angrily wiped her tears away and Dawn's heart broke a little. "You're not a sex doll, Faith. Come on, you KNOW that Buffy cares about you. She would never just use and discard you, she's not like that. You two have been together for five years, that's really not just nothing."

"Five years and we never made love, D. We always just fucked. Fuck. Fuck her. Just… dammit."

Not knowing what to say, Dawn just sat next to Faith and waited for her to calm down. She didn't wanna leave her alone; she left when Faith finally fell asleep.

"Tara, honey, I'm back!"-Willow yelled when she entered the house with Buffy, who loaded herself with so many gifts she could barely walk.

"I'm coming!"-Tara exited the bathroom, with a giggling Annie in her arms. "God, Buffy, it's so good to see you!"-she smiled widely and handed Annie to Willow so she could hug Buffy.

"So good to see you too! You look amazing, Tara, this motherhood thing is working out for you."-Buffy let out a happy squeak when she hugged her friend.

"Oooh and look at the little cutie! Hiiii, Annie, remember Auntie Buffy?"-Buffy made a cute face and kissed Annie's forehead.

"Of course she remembers Auntie Buffy, don't you, sweetie? That silly woman you stared at on the computer screen."-Willow cooed, smiling happily. She had her three favorite girls together now.

Buffy gave them the gifts; a few stuffed toys, baby suits and pajamas for Annie, a gorgeous blue and green dress for Tara and a dark blue suit for Willow, because she knew she preferred wearing suits for work.

"I know who wears the pants here…"- Buffy teased and winked and Tara grinned:

"Oh, yeah, my Will's all manly."

"But, I'm manlier."-said Xander, who let himself in without knocking.

"Of course you are."-Buffy smiled and crouched with her arms wide open to welcome little Liam who slowly walked towards her, smiling. "But this little man beats everybooody!"

Anya entered the house a moment later, holding a bag full of Liam's things. "See what a gentleman I married…"-she said, but Buffy knew she wasn't really complaining cause of the spark that appeared in her eyes.

"Anya, hey!"-Buffy said, smiling. She got up, hugged both Xander and Anya and went back to playing with Liam, who was the most adorable little boy she'd ever seen.

He was blonde like Anya, but had Xander's big brown eyes and a big bright smile that melted her heart whenever she looked at him. That smile looked like it went all around his little head when she gave him his gift- a big talking robot that kept saying 'Hi my name is Mr. Robot. What is your name?'

"Hi, Mr. Wobot, I'm Liam."- the kid said and Buffy giggled, delightedly.

"God, he's so adorable!"

"Maybe you should make one of your own."- Anya said, bluntly, and Buffy had to smile. Some things just never change.

"Maybe someday."-she said, thinking about Seeley.

Tara noticed the longing on Buffy's face and said "I'm hungry, I think we should order pizza and just relax a little. Buffy's had a long trip."

"I love the idea."-Buffy agreed, and gave Tara a very grateful look. The blonde girl just smiled and Buffy loved her to bits. Tara was like the magic being that always knew what to say and how to make someone feel better, no matter how down they felt. She'd told things to Tara, things she couldn't even tell Willow cause she had been ashamed, and Tara never said a word to anyone- and Buffy adored her cause of it.

Willow picked up on the looks that passed between Buffy and Tara and she knew what she had to do- she needed to lighten up the mood.

"Oh my god, guys, do you remember back at high school when that guy Scott had a crush on Buffy and followed her around like a puppy?"

"Who?"-they all said in unison, including Buffy. She'd never heard of that guy before.

"Scott? Scott Hope?"-Willow asked, but still- got no reactions.

"Ooohh, and remember when that little guy… Jonathan… peed in the pool?"- Buffy laughed.

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me, I had to swim in it!"-Xander made a disgusted face and Buffy laughed again "Goodness, I forgot about that!"

"Easy for you to forget!"-Xander pretended to frown, but he couldn't suppress a smile. "But, Miss Badass, remember when you sneaked out of your room through the window to meet Seeley when your mom told you to say in, and landed in the pool of mud…"

"… and met Seeley so covered in mud you couldn't even ride in his car and he actually…"

"took off his pants so you could put them on and he drove the rest of the way to his place…"

"in his Captain America boxers!"- Willow, Anya and Buffy finished the story and burst out laughing.

"That wasn't the only funny part! You and Seeley picked me up; you in his pants that were so baggy and long on you , and him in those hilarious boxers and my cousin Beth asked me 'Tara, it's not Halloween, is it?'"

"Uh, Beth… that girl always annoyed me."- Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Not just you."-everyone else said and they all laughed again.

Pizza arrived and Buffy was sitting on the floor, sharing her slice with Liam, and thought ' _I missed this. I missed my friends and just being silly. I'm happy today. Really happy.'_


	5. Memories

After a long day at work, and fortunately, arresting a murderer, Seeley Booth got home, took off his shoes and suit, poured himself a nice glass of whiskey and sat on the couch.

He sipped his whiskey and closed his eyes, breathing deeply, trying to relax and not to think about the big, bad world and horrible people that sometimes get away with killing many others because an agent like himself failed to do his job.

He'd killed people as a sniper and scenes of them falling down dead kept playing before his eyes. Clenching his jaw, he tried to convince himself we was just doing his job. It wasn't really working.

Buffy popped up in front of his eyes, first her face from years before, and then her face now, which was still beautiful, but her eyes were different. She was back and he had no idea what to do or think about that. He'd often imagined her coming back, sometimes on her own, sometimes married, with little fat children hopping around her, but he never imagined he'd be that affected by her return.

Her words the day she left and the new words from last few days kept replaying in his head, driving him so crazy he poured himself another glass, trying to ignore the memories that kept attacking him from all sides.

 _Buffy, a beautiful 16 year old, her long blonde hair falling down her shoulders in waves, shinning on the warm L.A. day as she walked by him with her friend Xander, not noticing him._

 _Buffy, on their first date, a few months later, wearing an adorable peach colored shirt and white pants and smiling at him, making him feel like he just turned into the luckiest man alive._

 _Buffy, on their first year anniversary, surprising him with tickets to his favorite hockey club's game. She didn't like hockey, but it meant the world to him that she chose to go with him._

 _Buffy, her lips on his, her giggles filling the room as she teases him expertly, her body moving perfectly in sync with his as they make love, over and over again…_

 _Buffy, leaving to pursue her modeling career._

 _Buffy, returning and bringing back so many memories and desires he'd considered long forgotten and dead._

"Goddammit."-he whispered and downed his glass. His phone buzzed and a part of him hoped that it was Buffy. It disappointed him when he saw it was just his dying battery.

"Auntie Buffy, auntie Buffy!"-Liam yelled as soon as he saw her, pulling his new robot friend behind him, smiling widely.

"He likes you. I've never seen him so relaxed around new people before."- said Xander, so happy that his son loved Buffy as much as he did.

"Where's my little man?"- Buffy grinned and lifted Liam up, and started turning around fast, making him yell "Wheeeeeee!" excitedly.

Little Annie, nested in Tara's arms, watched them curiously, like she was unsure if she should laugh or cry as they made all kinds of weird noises.

Willow and Anya had to go to work, Xander was about to leave as well, and Buffy was happy she'd get to babysit Liam, with Tara's help.

"Go kiss daddy goodbye and then we need to say hi to Annie cause she's feeling left out."-Buffy smiled and giggled when Liam ran to Xander, kissed his cheek quickly and ran back straight to her arms.

"I still can't believe how easily he became your friend, Buff. Well, have fun, I'll see you soon."

"I'm friendly. Bye, Xand."- Buffy grinned and almost melted when Liam took a teddy bear and brought it to Annie.

"Hi, Annie, this is Winnie the Pooh."- he said and made Winnie kiss her nose. The baby smiled happily and Buffy and Tara went all 'awwwwwww'.

"Maybe they're gonna date in…"

"Twenty years! Not before!"-Tara said, her eyes widening when she realized she sounded like an over protective father.

"Of course not."-Buffy smiled, "And even if they start dating, they'll remain virgins until they're married."

"Well, duh!"- Tara giggled, kissed Annie's head and then burst out laughing.

"I really wonder if I'll ever have kids."- Buffy said, suddenly serious. She never thought she'd want them, but seeing Liam and Annie and receiving so much love from the little boy… it made her wonder if she'd be a good mom or if she was fit just to be a cool Auntie."

"I think you'd be a great mom. Things might still work out with Seeley, no need to be all pessimistic."

"Tara, are you a mind reader? You always seem to be reading my mind."- Buffy asked and gave her a little smile.

"It's not hard to do it, you're not good at hiding emotions, they're always clearly drawn on your face."

"Do you think Seeley could see them too?"- Buffy asked, not knowing that Seeley was falling asleep at that moment, thinking about love he'd seen in her eyes when she looked at him, laughing about something.

"Oh yes. I'm sure of it, even though we both know men are usually a bit slow when it's about catching hints. But, he's not like other men, is he?"

"Not even close. I was sooo lucky to have him and I took it all for granted."- Buffy took a deep breath, trying not to get sad as she remembered little things he'd done for her just to make her smile. It seemed that Liam was good at noticing things, just like his daddy, cause the kid kissed her cheek and asked "Are you sad?"

"Nooo, sweetie, I'm good. How could I be sad with you around?"- she smiled, kissed him and lay down on the floor, letting him sit on her knees, pretending she was a pony.

"I'm so tall now!"-Liam yelled and threw Winnie the Pooh right at her head.

"Yeah, way taller than me!"

Tara laughed. They were adorable. She knew about Buffy's coke and booze problem, and thought she was doing better than she'd expected her to. She didn't even have a glass of beer with pizza the previous evening. Maybe her friend would finally find herself and start over, hopefully with Seeley.

She just wanted to see Buffy happy again, and she thought she'd help her any way she could to make it happen. The smile that was on Buffy's face at that moment was priceless and she didn't want it to disappear again.

 _Everybody deserves a second chance, right? Seeley will remember that, too, I'm sure. –_ Tara thought and smiled to herself as she started preparing pancakes.


	6. Text Messages

As much as he tried to, Booth couldn't stop thinking about Buffy. He even dreamed about her. Why did she have to come back just when his life started resembling order?

"You ok, Booth?"- Hodgins asked and even though Seeley wasn't big on talking about his feelings, he said "I don't know. Not really", as he sipped his coffee and avoided looking at Jack.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I don't know. Not really."-he said again, but knew he was lying.

"Hm."- muttered Hodgins and went back to doing his job, deciding it was better not to pressure Booth into talking about Buffy.

"What would you do if you were me? Would you still… hang with her?"- Booth asked, still not looking at Hodgins.

"Do you want to hang with her, Booth?"

"No. Yes. I don't know. Maybe."

"Hm."

"Stop hmm-ing me. I'm actually trying to, you know, talk. And you're just hmm-ing."

"Cause you're not being honest. You want her back in your life, don't you?"

"I don't know! I didn't think I wanted her back in my life, but now she is back, and she's… I'm… she's Buffy, you know?"

Brennan was about to show him something interesting on her new set of bones, but she hid behind the door when she heard him talk about Buffy. She wasn't a very emotional woman, not very good at showing her feelings, but she cared about him. And she cared enough to back off completely if he wanted to try with Buffy again. Cause, Buffy did love him. It was obvious even to her, and she wasn't really good at reading living people.

"I know you're all manly and all, but I've never seen you smile the way you did when Buffy showed up here the other day. Dude, I don't think waiting too much will do you any good. Deep down, you know you still love her."

Brennan had to agree with Hodgins about that, and instead of calling out Booth's name, she turned and quietly walked back to her lab.

Booth had to take a deep breath. Thinking about his feelings and Buffy was so hard and still, it seemed that he wasn't able to think about anything else.

"Should I… maybe… text her?"

Hodgins smiled "I didn't even know you could text."

"I can do many things… but, can't talk to her right now. Texting is safer."

"You're so cute!"- Hodgins grinned

"I am no such thing!"- Booth grumbled, Buffy was the only one who was allowed to say the c word.

"Does this sound ok to you? It's not… too much?"- Booth showed his phone to Hodgins, who smiled again. He never thought that Mr. Confident FBI Agent could be so insecure.

It was just 5 a.m. when Buffy's phone beeped, but she was awake. Jet lag wouldn't let her sleep. She thought it might be Dawn, or Faith, or maybe JP, and she almost leapt off the bed when she read SEELEY'S TEXT. SEELEY'S TEXT.

She didn't even know that he could text.

'HEY, BUFFY. JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU WERE HAVING FUN WITH YOUR FRIENDS. SAY HI TO THEM ALL. S.'

"Seeley texted me. He texted me."- she whispered to herself, her heart going wild. Smile lightened up her face, she was so happy and excited, like she was sixteen again.

'I'M HAVING A GREAT TIME, YES, I'VE MISSED THEM ALL SO MUCH. THE KIDS ARE ADORABLE! YOUR TEXT JUST MADE MY DAY. KISS!'

Booth looked utterly surprised when he received Buffy's text so quickly. "She's up at 5 a.m. And seems that she's having fun. "- he commented and Hodgins patted his shoulder in a manly manner and said "Good. Now ask her to date."

"I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because!"

"Great reason, Booth!"

"I know, right."-he said, and walked away, smiling.

He sat in his car and replied to Buffy. 'SEND ME A FEW PHOTOS. WHEN ARE YOU COMING BACK?'

Buffy did jump out of bed when she received his new text. He missed her! She wanted to scream and run through the house, but it was way too early to do that so she forced herself to tiptoe to the kitchen to make coffee.

While she waited for water to brew, she sent Seeley a photo of her and Liam and a few of the Gang and little Annie, and then replied to his question: 'I'M COMING BACK IN 5 DAYS.' She didn't wanna sound too desperate with 'I miss you and can't wait to see you, I'm dying to hang out with you again.' She thought it was his turn to throw the ball.

"Buffy…"- he whispered when he saw her, laughing at something the little man must have said to her. She was breathtakingly beautiful when she smiled and laughed. She looked happy. His heart beat faster and he realized he was smiling like a silly teenager.

'GREAT PHOTOS. THANKS.'- he replied, trying not to show how much her photo affected him. But, without even realizing what he was doing, he made her photo with Liam his phone's background.

She's always been his background, somewhere in the back of his mind even when he tried to convince himself he got over her completely.

 _I'll see her in 5 days. -_ he thought and drove away to his office. He had some paperwork to take care of and he thought it would keep him busy enough not to spend every waking moment thinking about her.

Buffy couldn't stand still, she was feeling so hyper and freaking happy that she just had to do something, anything. So she decided to surprise Willow and Tara with a cake. She wasn't the baker extraordinary, but she knew how to make brownies. Everybody loved brownies.

She found all the ingredients and started, singing along the radio that quietly played 'Virgin State of Mind' by K's Choice.

Willow woke up to get ready for work and she was surprised when she heard sounds coming from the kitchen.

"Buffy? You're awake… and… and baking."- Willow was surprised.

"Yes! God, Will, I'm so happy!"

"Did you put weed in the brownies?"- Willow teased, happy to see Buffy so excited. She didn't know what it was about, but she suspected that her friend's good mood had something to do with Seeley.

"No. Seeley texted me!"

"He did? He can text?"- Willow couldn't remember if she'd ever seen him text or do anything, but calling on his phone.

Buffy giggled. "Yes, apparently he can. He asked when I'd be back, he misses me!"

"Aww, Buffy, I'm so happy for you!"- Willow smiled and poured herself a cup of coffee. Buffy had made a huge pot of it.

"Thanks, Will! Maybe I do have a chance with him… I have to use it well, I can't mess this up."- she said, a little worried despite the happiness.

"I'm sure you do have a chance with him. You guys are gonna be ok. But, what about Faith?"

"What about her?"

"She loves you."

"No, she doesn't. Ok, yeah, maybe as a friend, but…"

"Oh come on, Buffy, it's not possible you're that blind. The girl is head over heels for you. I think you should talk to her, before you jump into things with Seeley."

"Willow, come on, I don't need a guilt trip now that I'm finally happy. I love Faith, I do, but not like THAT. I can't lie to her and I can't keep having sex with her when I just wanna be with Seeley again. It wouldn't be fair. Maybe, maybe she does love me, but I can't do anything about it. I told her to give a shot to Robin, a photographer who's been drooling after her for ages. She also deserves to be loved. I'm not that person, though."

"I understand. Just thought talking would help you both. You've been through a lot together."

"I know. I will talk to her. Just not right now."

"Your brownies smell good. Maybe I'll manage to try one before I leave."-Willow decided to change the subject.

"Oh yes, just a few minutes more and they're done. I'll pack a few for you in one of those Tupperware plastics."- Buffy smiled, happy that the subject has been changed, now she could day dream about seeing Seeley again.

"Perfect. Need to get changed and wash up."

Buffy nodded and cleaned up a few things to kill the time. When the brownies were done she packed them for Willow and placed them on three trays: one for Tara and herself, one for Xander and Anya, and a special plate with Mickey Mouse on it for Liam.

She seriously fell in love with that kid.

"Here, your lunch box is ready, sweetie."-she grinned to Willow, who hugged her and said "Aww, thank you. You're sweet. See you later."

"See you."- Buffy smiled and tried one brownie as she sipped her coffee.

It was really good.

 _Maybe I'll have to make some for Seeley. Chocolate always works. -_ she thought and smiled.


	7. Goodbye to You

Faith was still hungover the next morning, and actually most of the day, but she had a show and she couldn't bail on that one, especially now that Buffy was in the States and not returning Jean Paul's calls and messages. The poor guy was pretty much off his head already and she didn't wanna cause him a nervous breakdown.

She'd left a 'thank you' note to Dawn and left the apartment without saying bye. She was embarrassed cause of her little drunken outburst. She didn't do the lovey dovey relationshippy crap. Not even with Buffy.

On her break at 10.30 a.m. she checked her phone and saw Buffy's text.

"Great. Just when I got her out of my damn head."-she muttered and opened the message.

'HEY… I NEED TO TALK TO YOU. MAYBE OVER SKYPE WHEN YOU'RE BACK FROM WORK? DOESN'T MATTER WHAT TIME IT IS HERE, I'LL BE WAITING. B."

'I'M ON MY BREAK NOW, IF YOU WANNA TALK.'-Faith replied when she sat in her dressing room and looked at the mirror, trying to get rid of all the make-up.

Buffy had just finished cleaning up the kitchen and was chatting with Tara when she got Faith's msg.

"Tara, can you excuse me, I need to talk to Faith."

"Of course, sweetie. Let me know how it went."

Buffy went to her bedroom and turned on the laptop. She was so nervous; she didn't wanna hurt Faith or fight with her. They were always good at fighting and yelling and then making up… That part was always really amazing.

She launched her Skype and waited for Faith to accept the call.

Faith stared at the screen for a moment before hitting 'accept' and took a deep breath when she saw Buffy. She looked like a new person after being away just a few days. She looked happy and she was clearly completely clean.

"Hey, Fai."

"Hi, B."

They both kept staring at the screen, unsure of how to start talking. They'd never done it before.

"B? You wanted to talk?"

"Uh… yeah. Faith, I…"

"Let me make it easy for ya, B. I know what's going on here, I'm not stupid. You went back to the States to be with Seal again, and now it's happening, and I'm not gonna stand in your way. I hope you'll be happy. Goobye."

"No, Faith, wait!"-Buffy yelled, her eyes filling with tears when she realized that Faith was gonna just disappear out of her life.

She knew Faith, she could tell she was hurt and just dealing with it like it's a sticking plaster you just pull off not to prolong the pain.

"What, B?"- Faith took a deep breath and stared at the screen, trying not to blink. She didn't wanna cry or show any emotions at all… she just wanted to end it all and get so wasted and screw someone's brains out.

"Faith… I do love you. You know I do, but not… I'm not in love with you. I don't wanna lose you, though, you mean the world to me. Please, don't shut me out. You've been my best friend last 5 years, I can't lose you."

A tear ran down her face and Faith cursed silently. She couldn't stand to see her cry.

"Buffy… I… God, I suck at this. Listen, I… I can't be your friend right now, I can't pretend I'm happy you chose your Seal guy. I thought you'd come back, you know, for some comfort after the drama, but I see it's not gonna happen. You look happy. You look clean, and you should stay that way. And you should stay away from me."

"You mean… not forever, right? It's not like you never wanna see me again, is it?"-Buffy burst into tears, hating herself for it, cause she was aware it wasn't fair to expect to have everyone and everything. It never occurred to her, not for a moment, that Faith wouldn't be interested in continuing their friendship.

"I honestly don't know, B. I just know I need time, to get you out of my system. Fuck, this is hard. I kinda expected I'd just say something harsh, you'd return it just as harshly and it would be all over."-Faith said, blinking fuckin' stubborn tears away.

"It's ok… I understand. Take your time. As much as you need. But, please, get back in touch someday. Goodbye, Fai."

"Bye, B."-said Faith and quickly turned off the camera before Buffy could see her tears rolling down her cheeks and spreading make up over them.

"I need… I need…"- Buffy realized she was shaking as she shook her purse trying to find any drugs to soothe the pain.

She'd flushed it all, and now she almost screamed at herself for doing it.

"No, no… I don't need drugs. I don't. I don't. I don't."-she kept saying and sobbing loudly on her way to the bathroom.

When she looked at the mirror, she almost jumped away. Her eyes were red and wide open, her lip was shaking and she was so pale.

"Buffy? Are you ok?"- Tara yelled when she heard her voice coming from upstairs. She got no answer, so she made sure that Annie was sound asleep in her pram and went upstairs.

"Buffy? Sweetie…"-she whispered when she saw her friend sitting in the corner of the bathroom, holding her own legs and shaking slightly. She wasn't wet, but she still wrapped a big, fluffy towel around her and pulled her into a hug.

"Didn't go well with Faith?"-Tara whispered and kissed the top of Buffy's head, slowly running her fingers through her hair to make her calm down.

"She… she… doesn't wanna be my friend anymore. Maybe never again. Probably not. I mean, why would she? I used her, I was selfish and… god, Tara, do you have any pills?"

"Buffy!"-Tara exclaimed, shocked, and shook her hard, forcing her to look into her eyes."Listen to me! You don't need pills or anything, you're gonna be just fine… You're not alone here, you have us and soon you'll see Seeley again and it'll all be ok. But you gotta stop doing drugs. Seeley hates drugs, you know that. He won't want you if you keep being silly like that."

"But I… she was… she was my rock for 5 years, Tara. She was with me when I was up and down and now she doesn't want anything to do with me. I didn't think I'd lose her completely."

"Don't forget she lost you too. This isn't easy for her either. She loves you, I'm sure of it."

"And she doesn't have an amazing friend like you to help her through it. I'm such a fuckin' selfish bitch, Tara!"-Buffy burst into tears again and Tara hugged her tighter.

Buffy was right about that, Faith didn't have anyone to cry to and she decided to do what she knew best. First she threw a chair and smashed the mirror, then the turned over the table and broke the window and then she took Buffy's framed photograph and stomped over it.

"Faith? What's going on?"- a fellow model came in, but Faith pushed her out and yelled "Nothing! Get out, get out, get out!"

She didn't have to say it three times, but she did. She was shaking with pain and anger and jealousy and she just wanted all those stupid feelings to go away. Unlike Buffy, she had her coke and pills hidden and she snorted a line, swallowed a few pills and washed them down with JD. Then she sat on the floor and waited for oblivion.


	8. Magical Lands

It was hard not to think about Faith and how things ended between them, but Buffy thought that Liam would be able to heal a broken heart ripped out of the chest with one of his adorable smiles.

"Buffy?"-he looked at her lovingly and she smiled and kissed his cheek.

"What's up, little man?"

"Funny name."- he grinned cheekily.

"Not you too!"- Buffy laughed and Tara smiled, she was glad that Xander and Anya arrived, with Liam just when Buffy managed to stop crying. And it was like he shone light on her, she couldn't keep a smile off her face.

"Willow will be back from work soon, she's got a shorter shift today, so I thought we could all go out, maybe to Disneyland?"

"Mickey Mouse?"-asked Liam and Tara and Buffy smiled

"Yes, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and Goofy and Princesses and so many other things…"

"Go, go, go, go!"-Liam started jumping around and Buffy pulled him in her arms, buried her face in his neck and started making funny noises, tickling him and causing a fit of giggles at the same time.

"Did I hear something about Disneyland?"-asked Xander, returning from the kitchen with a huge sandwich.

"Daddyyyy, Disneyland!"

"I love the idea too. Haven't been there since I was a little girl."- Anya agreed, also returning from the kitchen, straightening her shirt a little.

"Oh you two… you didn't… in the kitchen?"- Tara asked, trying not to sound too shocked, but it didn't work.

"I wish! Just had no time to iron it properly and it's kinda bothering me now. "-Anya grumbled and Tara took a relieved breath and said "Oh thank god."

Buffy squeaked almost as loud as Liam when Willow got home. She was also excited about going to Disneyland, it would be a good distraction. Faith and Seeley were invading ninety percent of her thoughts and she was constantly fighting the desire to text them both. She needed to know that Faith was ok, and that Seeley really wanted to see her, that he really missed her, even though a part of her knew he did because of his text messages. But she was too insecure and worried to really believe it was true.

Now she just wanted to get a bunch of sweets, take a hundred or more photos with Liam and her friends and of course all the Disney characters.

Seeley finished the paperwork and stared at his phone. Well, not exactly the phone itself, Buffy- on its background.

She looked so happy with that boy, and he couldn't help thinking that she'd be a great mother. He wondered if he'd be a good father. His father was a punk, but he adored his grandpa, whom he called Pops. If Buffy hadn't left to Europe, he would have proposed to her then. Of course, he wanted to have kids then too, he even thought about their names.

He kinda wanted to have a girl, one that would be his little princess. Mini Buffy. He wanted to name her Sarah. It still wasn't too late for that either, he was just twenty seven and Buffy was a year younger, but he couldn't help wondering if they'd even manage to make it work again.

It was almost four o'clock when he got home. Just like she knew when to text, Buffy's message arrived just when he threw remains of yesterday's dinner in the microwave.

It was another photo, of her and Liam next to Disneyland sign, with a note- WISH YOU WERE HERE.

'I WISH I WAS THERE TOO.'-he replied and suddenly realized that he really did wish he was there. It really sucked that he couldn't teleport.

But, he could fly.

In a plane, that is.

As much as he wished he could fly like Superman, it just wasn't possible.

So he called the Ronald Reagan Airport and booked a flight. He knew he wouldn't be there till 11 pm or maybe even midnight, and that he wouldn't actually be able to go to Disneyland with Buffy, but he still had a Donald Duck T-shirt Buffy had bought him in Disneyland once they visited it together, so he put it on, wondering if she'd remember it.

"He wishes he was here too!"- Buffy squeaked and none of her friends had to ask who she was talking about. She was practically glowing.

"He won me a stuffed unicorn when we were here together."-she smiled and wondered if he still remembered it.

Liam pulled her hand and led her to candy floss stand and she got two of them, suddenly feeling like a kid in a very magical land.

Faith was also feeling like a kid in a magical land, but that was cause she was high off her head, and she didn't even realize that Dawn and Robin were taking her home…

"I'm gonna kick your ass when you get more conscious!"- Dawn threatened to Faith, who just looked right through her, smiling creepily.

"This had something to do with Buffy."-Dawn said to Robin, "There was a photo of her that she stomped over."

"I've always liked her, you know. But, she never gave me a chance even to talk to her properly, she was always running somewhere, usually to Buffy or with her."- Robin admitted and Dawn kinda felt sorry for the guy.

But, hey, she knew that you just can't tell your heart who to fall for.


	9. Donald Duck

Disneyland really was a magical place. Buffy suspected that the adult part of the group had even more fun than Liam. Annie was, of course, still too tiny to understand anything, but Willow let her try a bit of candy floss. It was so sweet the baby kept making the cutest frowns.

Liam was in heaven, he kept eating sweets and going to all the rides with Buffy, Xander and Anya, while Tara and Willow decided to do just the sightseeing part.

They spent a lot of time in Mickey's House and Goofy's Playhouse because they were Liam's favorites, while Buffy enjoyed Donald's Boat like a total geek, Anya totally loved Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin and used Liam as an excuse to go several times.

Xander, of course, couldn't wait to go to Star Wars Launch Bay and, of course, he also used Liam as an excuse to hang in there as much as possible.

The kid sure wasn't complaining, he was getting all the attention and was having the time of his life.

"Can we live here?"-Liam asked Anya, who giggled, secretly wishing the same thing. "Unfortunately not, honey, but we'll come back if you're good."

"Liam good. Wight, Buffy?"- he looked at her like she was a sort of a hero and she melted.

"You've a very good boy!"-she answered, smiling, and picked him up.

"You're so spoiling him, Buff."-Xander said, but he didn't really mind, he just loved seeing Buffy and Liam together. That little boy really loved Buffy, and Xander just didn't like to think that she might leave again. He didn't know how he'd explain it to Liam.

"I'm the cool Auntie; I'm supposed to spoil him, duh! Right, Liam?"-she asked him and kissed his cheek.

"When he asks to be held all the time, I'll put him in a box and send him to you, wherever you are."- Anya said, but then she noticed that Liam stared at her questioningly and she smiled, took him from Buffy, kissed him and said "Just kidding, little man. You have no idea how much I love you!"

"Loveyoutoo!"-said Liam while kissing his mommy. Buffy once again thought he was the sweetest boy in the world.

"Huh, I'm starting to be tired. I woke up at 5."-Buffy said and decided to grab a cup of coffee not to be a party pooper.

"You didn't just wake up, you made totally amazing brownies. I think I moaned a little while devouring them. Good thing I was alone."-Willow smiled, looking kinda dreamy

"Made ya moan, huh? Well done, me."-Buffy teased and sipped her coffee.

"Don't get all pompous now! Don't worry, baby, you make me moan much louder."-she said to Tara, who laughed.

"Thank goodness. I was worried for a second, I thought about forbidding Buffy to bake more. For you anyway. I would totally hide some for myself."

Willow kissed Tara, smiling. She never thought it was possible to love anyone that way, and it felt like she loved her a bit more, a bit deeper every single day.

Buffy couldn't stop herself, she took a photo of them kissing and aww-ed loudly when she looked at it.

"You're such a geek…"-Willow said, looking at the photo.

"Look who's talking. I'm a model, not a Chemist."-and she stuck out her tongue.

Booth was experiencing the longest flight in History.

He was sitting next to a man who was snoring so loudly he couldn't think. He tried listening to music, but his phone battery died ten minutes later. Perfect. That stupid phone always knew how to drop dead-whenever he needed it the most.

It was impossible to nap too, and he was so tempted to wake the snoring man up, but he decided it was probably better not to. He started flipping through a magazine, unable to read anything cause his head was already with Buffy.

He thanked goodness it was Saturday the next day and he didn't have to go to work till Monday. Just when he thought boredom and impatience would kill him, they started playing a movie- Bruce Willis' 'Die Hard'. It was actually one of his favorites and he couldn't believe they chose that movie and not something trashy.

Just when the movie ended, the plane landed and he was one of the first to exit. He couldn't wait to see Buffy. His heart started pounding wildly and he took a few deep breaths. He needed to charge his phone a little, so he sat in an airport bar and ordered a drink to relax a little and calm his pounding heart.

The waitress looked at his Donald Duck t-shirt which got a bit too tight on him, but he didn't care, and she didn't mind… at all. And he never even noticed her; Buffy was the only thing he could think about.

He waited until he had 20% of his battery and he texted Buffy.

'ARE YOU SLEEPING?'

It was gone 11 pm and he didn't wanna wake her and Tara and Willow. He was considerate like that.

'NO. I JUST GOT BACK FROM DISNEYLAND. WE HAD A BLAST! I'LL SHOW YOU ALL THE PHOTOS WHEN I GET TO DC."

He didn't reply to her, he didn't wanna waste more time, so he ran out of the bar and jumped into the first available taxi. When he arrived in front of Willow and Tara's house twenty minutes later, he texted Buffy again.

'HOPE YOU'RE STILL NOT SLEEPING.'

'I'M NOT. YOU KNOW, I HAD NO IDEA YOU COULD TEXT. BUT I'M GLAD YOU'VE LEARNED. YOUR MSGS MAKE ME SMILE'

She didn't suspect anything. He stood in front of the house, smiling, when he texted her again.

'GET OUT OF THE HOUSE, I WANNA HEAR YOU, AND DON'T WANNA WAKE THE WHOLE HOUSE.'-he wrote, he didn't wanna tell her he was there, he wanted to see the look on her face.

Buffy thought it was a bit strange that he wanted to talk to her so late at night, but she figured he just didn't wanna bother her while she was in Disneyland. She had just gotten in bed, wearing just a little silky black pajamas top and panties, and she didn't bother getting dressed since it was a very warm night.

She sneaked out of the house, still looking at the phone, and she was just about to hit 'send' on another text when she looked up... and froze completely.

Seeley was there- he was standing in front of her- he was there- and smiling- and wearing that silly Donald Duck t-shirt she had bought him years ago- he was there and she couldn't see or hear anything else. She couldn't speak or move; she just stood there and stared at him.

"Guess you're really surprised to see me."-Seeley smiled and pulled her into a searing kiss that made her think she was floating. Or dreaming. Or both.


	10. B&S 4ever

The kiss would have lasted much longer if they didn't need to breathe. They had to stop, but it was very much involuntarily. Buffy stared into Seeley's eyes, gently touching his face, like she was trying to convince herself she really was awake and it was all really happening.

"I can't believe you're here."-she whispered eventually. "And can't believe you still have that T-shirt."

"Of course I still have it. I still have those hockey tickets, too. "-he smiled and looked so incredibly adorable, Buffy just had to kiss him again. His lips tasted so good, and she didn't wanna stop kissing him- ever again. Screw oxygen.

"Buffy… when you kiss me like that, I just want to… We shouldn't. We should start over, slowly… God I sound like a woman, don't I?"- Seeley said, barely stopping himself from pinning her against the wall. She wasn't wearing much anyway, she was so sexy and his jeans suddenly felt very tight.

"I… Seeley, I've been dreaming about this for so long."

"As have I. That's why I think we should take things slowly; rebuild the trust and… god you're a tease!"-he couldn't help laughing when she jumped, wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck to keep the balance. And to kiss him easier.

He grabbed her ass and kissed her hard again. This time he did pin her against the wall and slid his hand under her silky pajamas top- sending shivers all over her body, which had longed for his touch for way too long.

Her breathing sped up a little; she nibbled on his neck and purred contentedly as he gently gripped her breast. She wasn't wearing a bra and he couldn't help moaning when he touched her and made her moan quietly.

"I love this t-shirt, but I want it off of you."-Buffy whispered and started slowly pulling it off.

Willow and Tara had gone to bed, to tuck Annie in and to talk a bit about their pretty amazing day in Disneyland, and they thought having a glass of wine in the living room would be perfect.

"I'll go ask Buffy if she wants to join us."-said Willow and Tara nodded and went downstairs to take glasses and a bottle of wine from the kitchen.

She was opening the bottle when Willow got to her and said "Buffy isn't in her room."

"She's not? Maybe she's in the bathroom?"-Tara suggested, but Willow just waved her head. She didn't like it; she just hoped that Buffy hadn't sneaked out to get drugs or anything, because Tara had told her about the whole Faith disaster.

"Think maybe I should go look for her. You stay here; I hope I'll be back soon. She couldn't have gone far."

Willow was in an orange tank top and shorts she slept in and she just put flip flops or and quietly exited the house.

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She stood there and felt her cheeks redden a little, she didn't wanna interrupt, but she was so happy for Buffy that she let out a little excited squeal.

"Sorry, guys, didn't mean to… I was just… I'll be gone. You just…"- she rambled when Buffy and Seeley looked at her, both a bit breathless. She ran in the house, still making happy noises.

"What's up with you?"- Tara couldn't help smiling when she saw a huge grin on Willow's face. Plus, her cheeks were a bit rosy.

"Buffy, she's here… with Seeley! I kinda… I interrupted the make out session and ran back in."

Tara giggled, she also couldn't believe that Seeley was really there, and she looked through the window.

"Looks like you didn't interrupt them for more than two seconds. They're making out again."-Tara smiled, she couldn't really blame them.

"Well, sweetie… let's have a toast. For us and for those two lovebirds outside."-Willow smiled, sipped her wine and kissed Tara.

"Cheers, baby!"-Tara smiled and kissed her again. They sat on the couch, embraced each other and sipped their wine, enjoying.

"Seeley… maybe we… maybe we should… go say hi now that…"

"They know I'm here?"-he finished the sentence for her; she was too busy kissing his lips, neck and chest…

"Yeah… maybe we should."-he agreed, but didn't stop roaming his hands over her body.

"You're… the master of teasing."- Buffy whispered as he touched her through her little black thong, but he wouldn't take it off. He knew he wouldn't be able to control himself if he went that far, it was hard enough already…

"Let's be polite and say hi to Willow and Tara."-he whispered in her ear and gently placed her back on the ground.

"My god, you're gonna kill me."-she whispered and buttoned her shirt back up.

He put his T-shirt back on and kissed her once again before they entered the house.

Willow and Tara were kissing on the couch and Buffy and Seeley made a quiet coughing noise and two girls broke the kiss and jumped to greet Seeley, both so excited.

He hugged them and smiled, he'd really missed them, they were, next to Buffy, the best women in the world.

"I'm so happy! When I saw you, awww!"- Willow was hopping and grinning with excitement. Tara was a little calmer, but it was obvious she was really happy too.

"Let me pour you guys a glass of wine. We've already had a toast, but now it's your turn."-Tara said to Buffy and Seeley and brought two more glasses.

Seeley poured them wine and said: "Well, a toast for the best lesbian couple I've ever met"-he grinned to Tara and Willow, who kissed again, "And a toast for a new beginning for us!"-he said to Buffy, staring into her green eyes, which got a bit teary.

"I love you."- she whispered, feeling kinda overwhelmed by emotions.

They kissed slowly and sipped their wine, and then joined Willow and Tara on the couch. Buffy sat next to him, but he caught her around the waist, lifted her up and sat her on his lap.

"Awww…"- Willow was literally melting, she'd missed those two. They were the cutest and the goofiest couple back in the day, but so loyal and she knew they wouldn't mess things up this time.

Buffy was practically glowing. Her body was on fire, still tingling from his touch and she didn't know how to keep herself from kissing him wildly.

"It's so good to see you, ladies. I still can't believe I'm really here, it all happened so fast."

"I can't believe you're here either…"- Buffy said, smiling so widely. That smile made her look like she was seventeen again, and Seeley kissed her and said: "I am. And I'm taking you to DC with me, and not letting you out of my apartment for days."

She felt butterflies when he said that and she bit her lip not to say or do something too inappropriate.

"You know, guys, you don't have to be too polite… we wouldn't mind if you just went to bed."- Tara said, smiling cheekily. It was visible from Mars that they just wanted to enjoy each other now.

"Nooo, it's fine… This wine is really good, isn't it, Buffy?"

"Yeah, it is… very good. But, I am tired. I've been up since 5 and it's been a very eventful day."

Seeley shifted a little to get more comfortable and she could feel how hard he still was and she almost growled. The fact that his hand her resting on her thigh wasn't making it any easier.

Buffy moved her leg a little and Seeley noticed a tattoo on her ankle.

"That's my handwriting."-he said, surprised.

"Yeah, it is."-Buffy smiled. "I got that tattoo a year after I'd arrived to Paris. I had your letters and on one you wrote: 'B&S 4ever' and I had to get it tattooed."

"I remember that letter. I can't believe you got it tattooed."-he said, smiling. He was touched. He'd been talking to himself on the plane, about how he'd take it slow, how he wouldn't rush into it cause she might break his heart again, but now that he held her, and saw that tattoo and felt her kisses and body again, he knew there was no way he could go slowly.

He wanted her so much it hurt.

"Well, let's go to bed if you're tired."-he said and finished his wine. Buffy placed her glass, which was still almost full, on the table, said 'night' to her friends, pulled his hand and ran upstairs.


	11. Highway to Heaven

As soon as they entered Buffy's room, Seeley kissed her passionately, and she eagerly returned the kiss.

"You know, if you're tired, we can wait… we don't have to have sex straight away."-Seeley whispered and his breath hitched when she took off her pajamas top and lay on the bed just in her tiny, black thong.

"We've lost so much time, and I don't wanna lose any more of it… and it's all my fault, I don't know how I'll ever make it up to you."- Buffy's eyes sparkled with tears when she said that.

Seeley took off his clothes, stayed just in his boxers and lay down next to her, wrapping his arms around her.

"I want you more than I can describe, Buffy, but I don't want just sex from you. I wanna get to know you again, I wanna take you to dates and live with you, travel, experience everything we hadn't managed to do the first time. "- he whispered in her ear and slowly kissed her neck.

"Thank you for giving me a chance, Seeley, you have no idea what it means to me. I swear you won't regret it…"-Buffy turned around to look into his deep, chocolatey eyes that seemed to be looking straight into her soul. "I don't remember the last time I felt just so happy and peaceful before falling asleep."

"I know the feeling… After you'd left, I couldn't sleep without you. I slept on the couch, the TV usually lulled me in. You really broke my heart, Buffy."

He'd built a reputation of being a hard man who didn't talk about his feelings, or sometimes he made people believe that he actually had no feelings, but he couldn't lie to Buffy. She knew him too well, and if he wanted to try again, he needed to be honest with her about everything. He needed to dig a bit deeper under the surface, even if it made him uncomfortable.

"I know… I'm so sorry. I broke my own heart too, though. You have no idea how many times I thought about calling you… didn't think it would be fair when I couldn't just go back. I had contracts and was travelling pretty much non- stop. I wrote you so many letters, Seeley. And burned them all when I had a fit of self pity and a bit too much to drink."

She couldn't stop the tears and Seeley wiped them away gently. "You made some bad choices, but as soon as we had dinner together, I felt how sorry you were, how unhappy it made you, and how much you wanted to take it all back. You were practically falling apart before me, Buffy, I don't know if you even realized it at the time. I don't think I've ever seen you that insecure and vulnerable."

He kissed her slowly and continued "I didn't want to like you; I didn't want to feel anything but anger for you. I wanted to hurt you, push you away, but the more we talked, the more we laughed and the more I looked into your eyes… the less I wanted you to disappear out of my life again. See, you went to California for a few days and I followed you."

"I never wanna lose you again, Seeley. You're my Angel, you've always been one."

"Angel. You liked to call me that. I may have been one then, but I'm not anymore. I've killed people, Buffy."

"Hey… you're a good man, it was your job. Besides, they weren't good people. You're still my Angel. I love you."-she kissed him deeply and pulled a cover over their almost naked bodies.

"I…"

"You don't have to say it if you don't want to. It's not like I really deserve to hear it. I feel perfectly happy just falling asleep in your arms."-she said, her eyes closing.

"You're the only woman I've ever said those words to, Buffy. I love you. I always have."

She closed her eyes, nesting in his arms, a little smile dancing on her face as she was falling asleep.

 _Some things just never change-_ thought Seeley- _she's still so adorable while she's asleep,_ and kissed her forehead, pulling her closer to himself. She was so warm and soft, and he couldn't stop planting little kisses on her shoulders and neck. She purred like a little kitten a few times and he melted completely.

He didn't think he'd ever again fall asleep with a smile on his face, but it was happening.

When he fell asleep, he slept like the dead, without bad dreams haunting his tortured psyche. It was like Buffy was his little personal dream catcher.

Dream catcher, dream come true… she was just dreamy.

Seeing her the first thing in the morning, as soon as he opened his eyes… he'd forgotten how happy it used to make him. Her head was on his chest, her arm wrapped around his body, and he didn't wanna move. He just lay there and watched her until she opened her beautiful green eyes and looked into his, still blinking the dreams away.

"Hi… I'm relieved you're here. I kinda dreamed that I'd dreamed it all."- Buffy whispered and gently kissed his chest.

"Nah, it wasn't a dream. I'm here. What do you say about a cup of coffee and breakfast?"-he smiled and ran his fingers through her hair.

"I like the idea… There's just one thing I wanna do first."-she moved up and kissed him slowly, but deeply.

"Mmm…"-he let out a manly purr and kissed her harder, and rolled with her to the other side of the bed, on top of her now. She gave him one of those little sexy half smiles and kissed him just as hard as he'd kissed her.

He expertly removed her thong and she shivered all over when she felt his fingers…

"Mmmmmm… you haven't forgotten how to touch me."-she smiled and moaned louder, kissing him even harder when his fingers entered her slowly. She spread her legs more and ran her nails over his chest, kissing his neck at the same time.

He was happy he got her all ready very quickly, she was so hot and inviting, and so tasty, he couldn't stop sucking on her nipples and leaving little hickeys over her skin.

His heart beat faster every time she moaned his name quietly, or ran her fingers through his hair, pulling slowly… She was so wet already, breathing faster and harder… and he just kept teasing her, not letting her get to the peak yet. If it had been up to him, he would have just continued teasing and playing with her the rest of the day.

But, he was also feeling very HAPPY and it was almost starting to hurt, so he took off his boxers, spread her legs and slid inside her.

"Oh my god, yessss…"-she moaned and kissed him passionately. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him deeper, moving her hips fast.

"Oooh Buffy…"-he moaned in her ear and squeezed her breasts, which fit into his hand perfectly. He couldn't stop kissing her; she was scratching his back and biting into his shoulder as he pounded her faster and harder. He wanted all of her and Buffy really wanted to be all his. She finally felt happy, loved, and totally high without needing to take any drugs.

She couldn't stop moaning, his touch kept sending shivers through her body, she didn't think she'd ever feel anything like it again. Butterflies danced in her stomach every time he kissed her, it was amazing.

He felt how close she was and he slowed down a little, he wanted more even he himself was throbbing for release.

"Don't stop…"-she whispered, breathing hard, and she made them roll over again, getting on top of him. She pulled him in a sitting position and kissed him with all she had as she rode him slowly. He gripped her ass and spanked it when she sped up…

She grinned and bit his lip, slowly pulled it with her teeth and pushed him back down on the bed.

"God, I'm gonna…"-she moaned and felt all of her defenses give in as she exploded.

He wasn't wearing a condom and he didn't think he could hold it any longer, so he slowly moved away from her, his whole body trembling.

"I should… uh… go to the bathroom."-he said, wondering if his legs would actually work now.

"Don't be stuuupid."-she whispered and slid down like a little snake, her hands gently touching his thighs… She started licking him slowly, teasingly, before she let him deeper in her mouth.

"Buffy, fuuuck…"

It felt so good to hear him moan like that, and she smiled as he came hard, so hard it surprised her a little, but she didn't move away until he was done. She swallowed hard and gasped a little…

"Fuck…"-he repeated again and pulled her up. She nested in his arms and slowly kissed the top of his chin. He kissed her forehead and whispered: "Ok, you're incredible."

"I've been dying to do this for years, of course I am."-she grinned cheekily .

"Let's shower and have breakfast, what do you say?"

"You're reading my mind, Angel."

"I like it when you call me that."

"I know."-she smiled, put on his Donald Duck shirt which was like a dress on her, and headed to the bathroom.


	12. The Girl They Used To Know

The previous night and the most perfect morning made Buffy feel like she was in a fairytale. The trip to Disneyland sure helped too, but it was time to go back to the real world. She thought she might get a stroke when she saw ten missed calls from Jean Paul, five by Dawn, and several messages from both of them. None of them sounded happy, and Buffy started thinking that the universe just hated her.

Every time she allowed herself to be happy, something bad happened to shake the balance.

She called Dawn when Seeley went to shower, and she had to move the phone from her ear when her sister yelled: "OH FINALLY. Geez, Buffy, it would be easier to reach the President!"

"I'm sorry, Dawnie, my phone was muted, I was with Seeley last night… He came to L.A. to look for me and god, this morning was freaking perfect… until I saw your angry messages and I don't know how many missed calls from both you and JP."

"You were with Seeley? Really? So you guys are a thing again?"-Dawn couldn't suppress her own excitement. Maybe Buffy would finally stop acting like a total loony. Seeley was the only one who could have any effect on her.

"Yeah, Dawnie, can you believe it? I'm so happy! All the missed calls and messages made me feel guilty though, I started thinking I just wasn't allowed to have any happiness."

"Of course you're allowed to, silly… but you're fired. Jean Paul tried to reach you, and then he called the apartment, I answered the phone and my head almost exploded from all the screaming and cursing in French."

"Yeah, I figured it was bound to happen. I don't wanna go back to Paris. I'm gonna contact a few agencies here in the States on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed."

"I will. But, you know, it wouldn't have killed you to be a bit more considerate when it was about Faith."

"Faith? What do you mean?"- Buffy asked, Dawn's tone told her that Faith wasn't exactly ok, and she got worried.

"I don't know what happened between you two, but I assume it was nothing good since she stomped all over your photo and trashed her dressing room completely. Then she mixed JD and cocaine and some pills and she was so out of it that Robin and I carried her to our place. As soon as she sobered up, she left without saying bye or anything and I don't know where she is. I've been worried about her, Buff, and I can't get hold of her. If she also quits, I'm afraid that JP might get a stroke or something."

Buffy sat on her bed, feeling like she just got kicked in the stomach. She didn't mean to hurt Faith, not like that.

"Buffy, are you here?"- Dawn asked, cause Buffy was just breathing into the phone.

"Yeah… Thanks for telling me that. I'm so sorry I hurt her. I don't know how to make it better, though. What about you? Are you planning on staying in Paris?"

"Jean Paul offered me a job. I'm actually thinking about taking it."

"What?! No, you're better than that, Dawn! You have a college degree, you can do anything, please don't be a model!"-Buffy jumped to her feet; she didn't want her sister to get lost in that horrible fashion world too.

"Like I'd ever take off my clothes to be on the cover of a magazine, Buffy. He offered me a job as his personal assistant. My salary would be totally awesome! But it's sweet you got all worried. Say hi to Seeley for me and I hope I'll manage to visit you during Christmas Holidays. Where do you want me to send your stuff?"

Buffy had a moment to think about that, she had five closets full of clothes, just as many with shoes and she had no idea how much make up and accessories she'd left in Paris.

"Send me shoes in closet number two, clothes from closet number five and jewelry from my little chest with green stones. The rest is yours. If you don't want it all, give it to charity, or to whomever."

Dawn squealed so loudly Buffy had to giggle "What? You've been borrowing my clothes all the time; you can as well have them!"

"I miss you, Buffy. But you actually sound happy, so it's definitely better for you to stay there."

"It most definitely is. I haven't been so happy for five years, Dawnie. I never should have left."

Seeley entered her room just in time to hear her say that and he smiled.

"Well, it's better to be a bit slow than to never admit a mistake."-he teased and yelled "Hiiii Dawnie!"

Buffy put her sister on the speaker and Seeley smiled when she said "Hey, Seeley! Thanks for turning Buffy into Buffy again. Can't wait to see you again!"

"Who was she if she wasn't Buffy? And, can't wait to see you either!"

"She was a monster from the black lagoon with drug problems."

"The only drug she'll be taking from now on is me."-Seeley said and Dawn was quiet for a moment and then she said "Ewwww! I don't wanna know what my sister is taking… god, images, images!"

"God, Dawnie, he didn't mean it like that!"

"I really, really didn't!"-he said, waving his hands in surrender even though Dawn couldn't see him.

"Thank god. Anyway, you crazy kids, have fun and enjoy and just don't tell me about it cause I might start having nightmares."

"I don't wanna share stuff like that anyway!"

"I'm relieved. I gotta go now, but I'll talk to you soon. Love you!"

"Love you too. Take care!"- Buffy said and hanged up.

"I'm starving. You know, this Donald Duck T-shirt looks much better on you now. It's a bit too tight for me, so I think you should keep it. "- Seeley said and kissed her hard, his hand sliding under the T-shirt like it had a life of its own.

"No touching, otherwise we won't have breakfast and we won't do anything else either."-Buffy smiled and kissed him, but slowly moved his hand away, even though it pained her to.

There was a knock on the door and Buffy opened it and smiled happily: It was Xander, holding her new best friend, little Liam.

Seeley realized he just fell in love with her once again, seeing that smile lighten up her face when she picked Liam up… She looked like an angel.

"Hey, XanMan, good to see you again!"-Seeley grinned at the look on Xander's face.

"Hey, man, I had no idea… no one told me!"-Xander greeted his old pal and they hugged a little awkwardly.

"And this little man is Liam, yeah? Damn, Xander, good job!"-he winked and smiled when Liam shook his hand.

"I am Liam Harris."-the kid looked so official, Booth had to smile.

"Seeley Booth."- he said, smiling.

"Funny name. Just like Buffy."

"You're a cheeky kid, you know."-Buffy grinned and kissed his nose gently.

"Is Seeley your boyfriend?"- Liam asked and Buffy looked at Seeley, smiling. "Aren't you a curious little thing?"

"Hey, it's a smart little man. Yes, Liam, I'm Buffy's boyfriend."-Seeley answered and Buffy almost melted. She wasn't sure if it was too soon to call him a boyfriend, but when he said it her heart beat faster.

"Well, since it's Saturday I was thinking I could grill something in my back yard."-Xander suggested and Buffy's belly rumbled.

"Love the idea!"-she said and Booth agreed. He followed Buffy, Xander and Liam downstairs, cheekily checking out her ass the whole time.

It was like he was suddenly turned into a teenage boy. His sex drive was in overdrive. And Buffy probably had no clue what she was doing to him.

"You know what, Tara, I truly love you!"-Buffy smiled when she smelled eggs and bacon and pancakes.

"Oi!"-Willow and Seeley said at once and started laughing. Buffy wasn't wasting time, she started eating and feeding Liam who was sitting on her lap.

Booth's work phone started ringing and he cursed and went on the porch to answer.

"What's up, Bones? Now it's really not a good time."

"I know you're in L.A. I've seen your message and I wouldn't call if it wasn't really important. I'm calling because we have a victim in Los Angeles. I'm about to fly there and it's very important you meet me, Booth."

"Bones…"

"Booth, I'm sorry about ruining your time with Buffy now, really am, but you're my partner. And you're so much better at dealing with people than I am."

"Oh that's very true. Ok, Bones, you know I'm there for you. I'll pick you up at the airport. Is the victim a celebrity?"

"She was on a way to becoming one, I think. Her name is Amy Madison and she starred in a few not very known movies."

"Amy Madison? I think she used to go to school with Buffy."

"What? Really? It might be really helpful that you're there. Talk to Buffy and her friends, maybe they'll know something."

"Yeah, I'll do that. See ya later, Bones."

Brennan hanged up and Seeley entered the house, looking gloomy.

"Is something wrong?"- Buffy asked, looking worried.

"Amy Madison? She used to go to school with you, didn't she?"

"Yes. She was a pretty ok girl. What about her?"

"She's dead."- Booth said, not knowing how to soften the blow.

"Oh my god."- Buffy, Willow, Tara and Xander said at once. Anya didn't really know her so she didn't comment anything; she just continued eating her pancake.

"Bones is coming here, and I'm afraid I'll have to work today."

Nobody was happy about that, but they could understand… they couldn't believe that Amy was dead.

"I'm gonna have to ask you some questions about her…"- Bones said and turned on his work recorder.

This definitely wasn't how he'd imagined his weekend… stupid bad guys.


	13. The Paparazzi Guy

It was all unbelievable. Amy was dead. Seeley got in his business mode and asked Buffy and the rest of the Gang questions. Anya didn't know her so she went for a walk with Liam.

Booth didn't get very important information about Amy from them, but what he got was better than nothing. She seemed to be a pretty normal girl, and despite her work in a few movies and commercials, she wasn't in the papers much. She wasn't one of those trashy new actresses who kept going to the parties and getting into scandals just to get noticed.

"When… when did it happen?"- Willow asked, still unable to say the word dead or murdered.

"I don't know. Bones will be able to tell when she sees her remains."- Booth said, trying to avoid words like corpse and bones, all the girls were a little pale and Xander was uncharacteristically quiet. It was one thing to hear about murders of strangers, but they used to know Amy. They even hanged with her a little.

"Uh, Jesse might know something about her. They used to date. I forgot about that, it's been years since I've talked to Jesse."

"Jesse? You mean that thin and tall guy you used to hang with? Mc something?"

"Yeah, him. Jesse McNally."- said Xander, going through his phone to find Jesse's address and number.

"Great, Xand, thanks."- Booth wrote down the details and hoped that they would prove to be helpful.

"I'm sorry we'll have to postpone your grill, man… Bones is a genius so we might have it solved till tomorrow. Once she gets into a case she doesn't stop until it's solved. I'm the same."

"Yeah, you two do have a lot in common, don't you?"-asked Buffy, who felt a pang of jealousy. She wasn't a genius, she was far from it, even the opposite of it, she often thought, and Brennan was a total genius who could solve murder cases that people failed to solve even fifty years ago. Plus, she was a total hottie.

"Not really. She's one of the strangest people I've ever met, but she's smart and loyal and a real expert. If anyone can solve this, it's her."

"All the genius people are a bit weird, though. Look at our Willow."-grinned Xander "Maybe you and this Bones woman would get along."

"Buffy, wanna go for a walk with me? We can walk to the airport and get rent a car then. It's still across the street from the airport, right?"-Booth suggested, he really wanted to spend some alone time with Buffy before he had to go to work. She got a bit quiet and he wondered if she was feeling threatened or something.

"Yeah, sounds good. Let me just change."-she said and headed to her room. He ran after her, pulled her hand and kissed her passionately.

She couldn't help it, she kissed him back.

"You don't need to be jealous, Buffy. I promise. Brennan would never do anything to hurt you; she's a quirky woman, but very thoughtful and nice when you get to know her. I wish you two could be friends."

"Maybe we will be friends. I can't help feeling a pang of jealousy, though. She's so smart and gorgeous. I'm… I'm a model. I probably wouldn't understand half of the things she says."

"She wouldn't understand half of the things you say either, don't worry."

"Why? Do I sound stupid? Am I?"- Buffy got a bit defensive and Seeley caught her hand and said:

"Ok, you're being stupid right now, babe, but you're smart, just in a different way. She uses formal words and you like to play with them, adding y at the end… I remember Giles had troubles understanding you back at High School."

"Giles… he was like a dad to me back then. I think I broke his heart too when I left to be a model. He stopped writing to me after a few months. I should visit him too. I'm sorry, can't help being a little jealous."

"Jack and Zack practically drooled when you showed up at the Jeffersonian… Maybe I should throw a jealous fit too."- Booth grinned and kissed Buffy, who had to smile.

"Zack is gay, though. Isn't he?"

"You never know with him. For the longest time I didn't even think he was human. You know, you look totally sexy in that T-shirt…"

"Now you're just teasing."- Buffy smiled and kissed him passionately

"No, you are."-he spanked her ass playfully and she ran upstairs, yelling "I know I am. Ha ha haaaa!"

He ran after her and jumped her from the back, throwing her on the bed.

"You said you wanted to go for a walk. I gotta change, and we gotta go meet your genius partner."- Buffy said, trying not to show how easily he turned her on. He hovered above her, and got her pinned down, and just stared into her eyes… Those eyes could never hide anything from him and he could tell she was just as turned on as he was.

"You're such a bad girl… I think I'll have to handcuff you."

"If you do that, there's no way you'll get to the airport on time. I've been really, really bad."-she gave him a cheeky smile and kissed him, growling quietly.

"You're unbelievable."-he said, grinning.

"I know. Get out."-she stuck out her tongue and pushed him out of the room.

"Bad, bad Buffy! I was gonna watch you change!"

"Sorry, Angel, but you're being the Devil right now."

"Handcuffs. I'll take them from Bones later."

"Oooh, I'm so scared…"-she giggled and started going through her clothes. She had no idea what to wear. She wanted something sophisticated, but she didn't wanna look totally uptight. Also, sexy, but not slutty. She wanted Brennan to like her, and she wanted Seeley to want her.

 _It's really not easy to be a woman.-_ Buffy thought and cursed herself for taking just one luggage. _I have absolutely NOTHING to wear!_ \- she started freaking out a little and after she threw all of her clothes out and thought really hard for twenty minutes, she picked a simple white dress with cherries all over it. It was cute, summery, showed her figure, but wasn't too open and revealing.

She applied a bit of her favorite light pink lipstick and a bit of lip gloss and mascara, chose nice white sandals and a nice reddish purse that was almost the same color as the cherries on her dress.

"Buffy, for god's sake, you've been in there for forty minutes!"- Booth yelled and knocked on the door.

She unlocked the door. "How do I look?"

"You look great. And I know you would have looked great even if you hadn't been preparing for forty minutes. Thank god you'd showered earlier; otherwise it would have taken you an hour and a half."

"Ooh, I know- good, right? Let's go then, Mr. Impatient."

He was wearing a light red shirt and a dark red tie and black pants and shoes. "Looking very handsome…"- Buffy complimented him when he put his sunglasses on.

"Thank you, fair lady."-he smiled and caught her hand.

They said bye to the Gang and walked away. After years away from Los Angeles, that walk felt so good. They watched everything curiously, and suddenly realized that so many things have changed, it was like a totally new block. Still kinda familiar, but very different.

"You look really amazing, Buffy."

"Thank you, kind sir."-she smiled, feeling so happy, like she was walking on the clouds. Everything seemed to be shinning, the colors were brighter, sounds were clearer, and it was like everything had a soul. Or maybe it meant that she got her soul back.

She squeezed Seeley's hand a little, and smiled when he squeezed her's. He also kept smiling and she wondered if he also saw everything differently. But she didn't wanna talk, she felt perfectly comfortable just walking in silence, holding his hand.

They had coffee and ice cream on their way, Seeley was feeling a bit silly and he bought her a huge sombrero with a pink and purple ribbon.

"Adorable."-he smiled and kissed her.

Booth noticed a guy with a camera taking photos of them, but Buffy waved her head when she realized that he was gonna go talk to the guy.

"Paparazzi. It's ok, it's better to pretend you can't see them. Come on, let's go."-she said, and urged him to continue walking.

"I'm not used to being noticed. Why couldn't you model as a big hot dog or something?"-he grumbled and Buffy laughed.

"A big hot dog? Are you serious?"

"Yeah. They're not sexy."-he frowned.

"Aww, you're so cute when you're jealous."-she teased and kissed him. They finally entered the airport, embraced.

"Honey, you wait here, I'm just going to the bathroom. Won't be long."- Buffy said and kissed him again.

"Sure, babe."-he said and she walked away, and Booth watched after her, unconsciously moving his head as he followed her ass with his gaze.

"Hey, Mr. Horny Boy."-Brennan said, unable to suppress a smile.

"Whoa, Bones, was that a joke?"-Booth grinned and hugged his partner.

"Isn't Buffy with you?"

"She is. She's just gone to the bathroom."

"Oh, ok. So, you two are good?"

"Yeah, we are."- he smiled and checked his watch.

"I wish you women spent a bit less time in bathrooms. She's probably checking her make-up for the millionth time now."- Booth commented, and took a deep, impatient breath.

"Well, I should go to the toilet too, actually. I don't know when I'll have the next chance."

"Ok, no problem."- he said and sat down, so sure that those two would start talking in there. Women.

But, Bones appeared five minutes later, looking a bit confused.

"Booth… Buffy wasn't in there."

"What do you mean, she wasn't in there?"

"I don't know, she just wasn't. I was alone."

"Maybe she went to another toilet."

"That's the only one in that direction, Booth."

Booth thought that he would get a stroke. "This isn't happening. Tell me it's not happening, Bones!"-he said and dialed Buffy's number. Her phone was off.

"DAMMIT!"- he yelled and people looked at him.

"Bones, go back to the bathroom. "-he said, and ran out, trying to see if he could still catch a glimpse of Buffy. He ran, looking everywhere and yelling her name. He didn't remember ever feeling so lost and desperate.

"BUFFY!"- he screamed, his heart pounding in his ears. He unbuttoned his shirt a little cause he felt like he couldn't breathe.

But there was no sign of her…

"Is this her hat?"- Brennan asked him, but he didn't even hear her, he just stared at her, and the sombrero in her hand.

She had her medicine gloves on and she stuffed the hat in a plastic bag.

"Guess it's evidence. Booth… Booth, look at me. Listen to me. We'll find her. We'll find her."

But, he couldn't hear her. He only heard pounding of his own heart in his ears and one thought that kept running through his head.

 _The paparazzi guy. I'll find the bastard and I'll kill him if one hair on her head goes missing._


	14. Imprisoned

It all happened so fast, Buffy couldn't even process it. She was just getting out of the bathroom, when a man pushed her back inside, and pressed a gun under her chin.

"Sweetheart, you'll exit with me, your arm around my waist and I'll keep my gun pointed at you as you walk. If you try to scream I'll start shooting. Not you, though, people around you. You don't want anyone to die because of you, sweetie, do you? Especially not that handsome fellow you arrived with."

"Please, let me go. I have money, I can pay you, just please… let me go."-Buffy whispered; her voice breaking. She thought her heart would jump out and she suddenly regretted not taking self defense lessons when Dawn suggested it.

"This is not about money, doll. Shut up or I'll shoot you just to hurt you. Lose that ridiculous hat, it attracts attention. Walk now. Act normal."

Buffy swallowed tears, tried her best to walk like she was with her boyfriend, not a psycho who could start shooting people. She couldn't help looking at Seeley's direction, but he was talking to Brennan. She wanted to scream, but it was like the guy could read her mind, she felt the gun press hard against her ribs.

There was a black van parked right outside and he opened the door for her. Her legs felt like they were made of steel, but she entered the van. As soon as she did, someone put a black bag over her head and tied her hands behind her back.

They drove away, tying her ankles together as well, but she thought she wouldn't have been able to move even if they let her stay untied.

"Good girl."- a new voice said, and she shivered all over when the man ran his hands over her body… "Pretty too."

"Yeah, she is. No touching, though. That was the deal, remember?"- Buffy heard a female voice now, and took a deep breath. At least there would be no touching, she couldn't help being relieved. _Unless they wanna sell me to someone else… great, Buffy, you really know how to make yourself feel better._

"Nice stuff."- said the female, who was rummaging through her purse. She borrowed her lipstick and applied some on her full lips. There was her cell phone, too and the woman almost growled. "Are you an idiot, leaving her cell phone, it could be traced!"

Buffy heard the screen break when the woman stomped on it. She didn't dare to say a word, but she knew that the woman removed the card and battery and threw it through the window.

They kept driving and driving, Buffy felt like the ride lasted forever. But, she didn't mind driving; she was terrified of the place they were driving her to. She didn't wanna be sold to be a sex slave or something like that.

 _I must be paying for all the stupid things I've done. It can't be a coincidence that this happened now that I'm finally happy. God, please, please, let Seeley find me. I can't die… not now! I need my Angel more than ever, please…_

Tears ran down her cheeks, she couldn't stop them. It got really hard to breathe with that bag on her head, but she didn't dare to say anything, she just sobbed quietly.

The van abruptly stopped moving and Buffy gasped loudly when one of the guys pulled her out and threw her over his shoulder like she was a bag of dog food.

"You stay with her, she's seen you already. She can't see us… at least not yet."-the woman said, she seemed to be in charge and Buffy couldn't believe that a woman would kidnap another woman like that… and she had no idea why. It wasn't about money. She would have given them the whole fortune, just to be able to go back to Seeley, alive and in one piece.

The guy that was holding her suddenly dropped her on the bed and removed the bag.

"You can scream as much as you want, this room is sound proof."

"Why are you doing this to me?"- she asked, still crying. She couldn't stop, and she couldn't believe that it was happening.

"You're about to find out."- he said, gave her a smile that sent shivers down her spine and started taking photos of her.

"You're beautiful, you know? Even all cried up like that."- he said and sat down next to her. He put his hand around her shoulders and set the timer to take a photo as he held her tied up on his lap.

"We'll see how he likes having his girl taken from him."-he whispered in her ear and she felt a surge of fear overwhelm her. This was revenge, pure revenge, and it terrified her. This guy, hell, maybe all three of them- she was almost completely positive there were three of them, were holding a grudge against Seeley and possibly Dr. Brennan too.

"I don't know what happened to you, but you can fix it… get a lawyer and… Seeley will sort it out, he will, I know, he's a good man. But, if you hurt me, he will hurt you, I know that too."

"Are you threatening me, sweetie?"- he grabbed her throat and squeezed hard.

"N-no… I'm just… I want you to sort it out… peacefully. Please. I'll pay you as much as you want, just don't hurt me, and let me go, begging you."

"I don't want your money, blondie! I want my wife back. She's in jail for a crime she didn't commit, and my daughter and I figured we should do something about it when the law doesn't give a damn. Her boyfriend borrowed us and drove the van. Now you're gonna be imprisoned, just like my wife. And you're not getting out until she walks free."

Buffy swallowed hard. "How many years was she sentenced to?"- she asked, terrified of the answer.

"Death penalty. SHE'S INNOCENT, DO YOU FUCKING KNOW WHAT IT MEANS?! Now I took someone innocent from him. Someone he loves. I've done my research, baby. I've been tracking you both…"

He showed her a bunch of photos of Seeley and herself, and photos of them taken separately, even from her time in Paris. She thought she'd get a heart attack. Those bastards knew everything about her, they knew about Dawn and Faith, there were photos of them too, and it scared her more than being imprisoned for the rest of her life.

Her eyes widened in complete horror when she saw photos of her and Seeley making out in front of the house the night he got to her. There were photos of Tara and Willow, Xander, Anya… and Liam. She stared at the man, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach.

"Begging you, leave them out of this. Begging you…"-she burst into tears, her whole body shook and she was starting to feel nauseous.

"It all depends on your boyfriend, cutie."

She was gonna say something, but he covered her face with a cloth full of chloroform and she was out in a jiff.

He untied her hands and legs, took a few more photos, placed a tray of food and water on a little table, exited and locked the steel door behind him.

"Perfect photos, daddy."

His daughter was smiling and biting her lip slowly, feeling optimistic and kinda turned on suddenly. She took the camera and went to her own dark room to develop the photos. She felt like it took ages for them to dry; she was impatient and kept smoking one cigarette after another.

Once the photos were FINALLY dry, she took a black marker and wrote on the back of every single photo. Then she placed them in a yellow envelope and brought it to her boyfriend.

"Honey, deliver these to the fucker. Wait until he opens it and looks at the photos and take photos, I wanna see the look on his face. This is gonna be so much fun, baby."- she grinned and kissed him hard.

"Won't be long, babe."- her boyfriend promised and left. She watched him drive away, her heart pounding with excitement. _Mom's been in jail for almost a year now. He better makes sure she gets out before the year expires, or I will kill his girl. And I'll kill her slowly, she'll feel like a day lasted a year._

A little evil grin appeared on her face and she headed back to her dark room and unlocked the safe. It was filled with weapons. Knives, saws, needles, drugs, scissors, blades, matches and candles, ropes… Her dad didn't know about her awesome toys, he just wanted his wife out, and she did too, but she secretly hoped she'd get to torture the bitch. She grabbed her favorite knife and smelled the blade, and slowly ran it over her own palm. She barely touched the skin, but still got a little cut. It was really sharp. Perfect. She put it back in the safe, locked it back up and then joined her dad in the living room, where he was sitting and flipping through channels.

"She's on every channel."-he said, smiling.

"Check out Booth. He doesn't look that confident and pompous anymore, does he?"- she giggled, lit another cigarette and laughed when she heard him say "I'll pay you as much as you want, just release her, please."

"Not EVERYTHING is about money. People, sadly, keep forgetting that."- her father said, and she had to agree.

Money wouldn't be able to bail her mom out of jail. She was convicted for killing her older daughter, and she just found her lying in a puddle of blood and was stupid and shocked enough to grab the knife that had been left behind by the murderer. The murderer that was now free, just because the cops, led by Agent Booth, were dumb.

 _Maybe he'll learn how to use his brain now that his girl is gone._ \- she thought, inhaled the cigarette smoke deeply and put it out in an ashtray that was almost full now.


	15. Reactions

Brennan had never seen Booth lose it like that. He was usually a pretty relaxed guy, laid back and sarcastic, but sharp minded and he always knew what questions to ask, what to do in a crisis and how to follow tracks that most of the people were unable to see.

That wasn't the case now. Booth was holding his head, looking around and running from one person to another, asking them about a blonde girl in a nice white dress with cherries on it. People mostly just stared at him like he was a lunatic, and just a few actually tried to remember, but couldn't think of anything helpful.

There was one elderly woman who said she'd seen a black van parked near the entrance, but she didn't see the driver or if anyone had entered it before it drove away. Booth called the cops and waited there, still trying to talk to people and ask them about a black van. He started thinking that people in L.A. were blind. How can a black van be parked and totally unnoticed?

 _Paparazzi-_ he thought, annoyed. He kept wishing that Buffy had let him talk to that paparazzi that photographed them. He suspected that guy and he just wished he'd looked at him more carefully. He could have been anyone, but he was sure that he was a maniacal fan.

 _I kept telling her that being a famous model would ruin her life, but she wouldn't listen to me.-_ he thought, fighting tears and swallowing hard, trying to get rid of that lump in his throat that felt like a stone.

"Maybe there is someone hunting down showbiz people. First Amy, who started a career in acting, and now… Buffy- a famous model. And the strangest thing is- they knew each other. I don't believe in coincidences."- Brennan said, trying to think logically, because it was obvious that Booth wasn't capable of it at that moment.

She wanted to get his mind back on the case, just to make him stop torturing himself with all the 'what if' questions that must have been running through his head.

"Are you saying that… that you'll be working on Buffy's… skeleton soon?! She always said… she always said she didn't believe in coincidences and leprechauns."-Booth stared at her, his eyes wild and huge with terror.

"Of course it's not what I'm saying…"- Brennan said, her voice gentle. She headed to the kiosk that sold hot beverages and brought chamomile tea in a carton cup for Booth. People always used hot beverages for comfort, and chamomile supposedly had a calming effect.

He sipped tea like a robot when she handed it to him. Police arrived, followed by reporters, who obviously managed to find out that a famous model went missing.

The cops asked him questions that he couldn't answer, but he told them about the black van and described Buffy's outfit, minus the hat, which was taken as evidence.

Reporters wanted to know about Buffy and their relationship, but he wouldn't tell them anything. He just wanted to plead with the kidnappers; he wanted to get her back as soon as possible without hurting anyone else in the process.

Tara and Willow were watching television to make Annie fall asleep, when they saw Booth's terrified face on the screen.

"Oh god, what is he saying?"- Willow asked, going really pale.

"Buffy's been kidnapped."- Tara said, feeling like someone just squeezed air out of her lungs.

"No… she just… it must be a misunderstanding… please, Tara, tell me that we heard something wrong."- Willow started crying and Tara embraced her and kissed her forehead. She didn't know what to say, there were no words. It was Buffy…

The news spread worldwide really fast. Buffy was a world famous model, after all.

"Dawn, you have to see this!"- Jean Paul pulled her in his office, which was surprising enough, and when she saw Booth's face on TV, her legs went weak.

Jean Paul was just as shaken up, but he managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Dawn… Dawn!"- he yelled, and threw a glass of water in her face, to wake her up.

"What… uh… Buffy… she's… missing?"

"Looks like it. Mon Cherie, take time off if you need it. I'm sure she's gonna be ok."-he said and Dawn slowly got up, and left his office without saying a word. She walked out of the building and inhaled air deeply, trying to calm down, but her whole body was trembling.

"Buffy… oh my god."- she whispered, unable to stop the tears. She held on to the wall, trying not to pass out again, she didn't remember ever being so terrified.

A woman almost ran her over, and stopped to apologize and then she abruptly stopped.

"Dawn? Are you ok?"- Faith asked her, she was so pale and shaky and looked like she might pass out any moment.

"I'm sorry if I gave you a scare, I had to deal with shit on my own… it may have not been the best way, but I'm better now. Hungover as hell, but better."

She realized that Dawn wasn't even listening to her, she looked terrified.

"Hey… Dawn? What happened?"- she asked, she couldn't help worrying. Dawn was like her younger sister. She wrapped her hand around Dawn's waist and led her in the lobby and sat her down on the nearest couch.

"Stella!"- she called out to the waitress in Jean Paul's bar. The guy owned the whole building in which was his modeling agency. It had a very fancy bar and Faith and Buffy loved hanging in there, they often didn't have to pay for their drinks.

An attractive red head with short hair and blue eyes, wearing a bit more modern version of the French maid uniform; it was red and made her look a bit devilish.

"Get me a cup of coffee… Make it double. And I think Dawn could use a cup of tea. She's very freaked out about something."

"You didn't hear?"- Stella asked, a very sympathetic look on her face.

"Hear what?"- Faith asked, and realized that all the people in the lobby looked distraught and seemed to be staring at them.

"Stella, what's going on?! Spit it out already!"- she felt panic rising in her when she realized that Dawn was pretty much catatonic, while everybody else stared at her with shock and grief and sympathy on their pale faces.

"It's Buffy…"- Stella started, and Faith jumped off her chair like someone electrocuted her.

"Buffy? WHAT ABOUT BUFFY?!"- Faith yelled and Dawn burst into tears, hugging herself and moving back and forth in her chair.

"She's… she's been kidnapped. It's all over the news."- Stella said and Faith ran to the TV, grabbed a remote and found a channel that was still talking about it.

Seal was begging to get her back, and he was willing to pay anything…

"IF SHE'D STAYED WITH ME, SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE!"- she screamed and threw a chair into the TV screen.

"Faith! Calm down! Don't make me call the cops!"- Jean Paul yelled at her, but Faith noticed that he was wiping tears away.

"Faith!"- she heard Dawn's voice, and looked at her. Seeing Dawn cry made her cry as well and she walked like a zombie towards her.

"God, Dawnie…"- Faith whispered and sat down next to her. Dawn pulled her into a tight hug and they cried on each other's shoulders.

"Who would kidnap Buffy? Why?"- Dawn whispered, her voice breaking.

"I bet it has something to do with that Seal guy. He's a goddamn cop and someone is using her to get to him."- Faith growled, she was so ready to rip his throat out if it proved to be true.

Dawn hugged her tighter and continued crying. Faith felt how badly she was shaking and she just held her, trying to find something to say, but the only thing she could come up with was "Sssh…"

Tears were rolling down her cheeks and she sobbed quietly "I told her I didn't wanna be her friend anymore, cause I was hurt… and now… now I might never see her again. Dawnie… I don't know what I'm gonna do if they… hurt her."

She couldn't force herself to say 'kill her'. She'd heard about that actress Amy Madison and just hoped it wasn't the same guy. Her body started shaking with silent sobs and she whispered "I'm going to L.A… I need to be there if… when… when they find her. You coming with me?"

"Of course I am. She's gonna be ok, right, Faith?"- Dawn asked, sounding like she was ten years old and Faith's heart broke.

"Yeah… she's gonna be ok…"- she whispered and really hoped she was right.

Stella brought them their drinks, but they got cold on the table and two girls just walked away, embraced, trying to keep each other from falling apart.

Mean time, Buffy's captors were watching television, and growing more and more worried.

"We should have known that media would be all over this case."- the boyfriend said, rubbing his five days long beard, looking lost in thoughts.

"But, that's not a bad thing either, is it? Everybody will find out about Booth's connection with mom's case soon enough. He'll be crucified by the media and I bet he'll do everything in his power to clear his name and get his girl back."- the woman spoke and lit a cigarette.

"I hope you're right. I hope we won't get arrested before do manage to do anything. Everybody is all over this case! Nobody even flinched when Amy died. By the way, you just HAD TO kill her, didn't you? I TOLD you to let her go!"- the father said and the woman jumped off her chair.

"IF I HADN'T KILLED HER, SHE WOULD HAVE TOLD EVERYBODY! WE WOULD HAVE NEVER MANAGED TO GET TO BUFFY, DAD, SO SHUT UP NOW! I DID WHAT I HAD TO DO TO PROTECT US! MOM IS IN JAIL AND SHE'S FUCKIN' INNOCENT!"

She wanted to break something; she hated feeling so damn helpless. At least she had Buffy now; it made her feel a bit better. She really wanted to go see her, show her who she was, but she knew it wasn't a good time yet. But, it would be soon.


	16. Warning and Clues

Dawn hated taking pills, but she couldn't calm down and she took one Xanax from Faith to calm down. She tried calling Buffy's phone even though she knew there would be no answer. Still, she felt overwhelming fear when it said that the number didn't exist.

Faith also swallowed a Xanax to calm down a little, she was terrified. Dawn wasn't capable of talking to Willow or Tara, so she dialed their number and walked around the apartment until she heard Willow's voice on the other side.

She was crying and Faith hoped that nothing had happened in the meantime. Her heart was going wild.

"Hey… It's Faith… I just… have you heard anything about Buffy?"- she asked, holding her breath.

"Hey Faith… n-no, nothing. Seeley's been out since she disappeared; he's been looking all over, helping the cops… it's been hours and we got nothing, not a word from the kidnappers yet."- she burst into tears and Faith lit a cigarette, she couldn't calm down, she couldn't wait for Xanax to kick in.

"Dawn and I are coming to L.A. Hope we can stay with you. Dawn, at least."

"Of course you can stay too, don't be silly. Buffy cares about you. She really does."

"Yeah…"- Faith said, she couldn't stand to think about her feelings or Buffy's feelings right now. She just needed to know that Buffy was ok. That was the only thing she cared about. "Well, I'll see you in a bit. Thank you. Hold on, ok… bye."

Dawn managed to calm down enough to pack a bag twenty minutes later, Faith called a taxi and they hurried to the airport, hoping there would be a flight as soon as possible. They didn't think they could stand waiting till the next day.

Buffy opened her eyes, her head pounding, and it took her a moment to remember where she was. She got up too fast and felt so dizzy she barely stopped herself from falling.

"Oh god… how am I ever gonna get out of here?"- she whispered and drank a glass of water, she was thankful they left it there for her. There were no windows, just a little hole for air conditioning. Steel door… she didn't even consider opening them, she knew it was impossible.

She started feeling claustrophobic and she sat down, trying to breathe deeply to calm down. Her hands were shaking and she sipped more water.

The room was soundproof so there was no point in screaming. She felt like a caged animal and she just sat in the corner of the room and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"Begging you, Seeley, be my Angel and get me out of here…"-she whispered, and tears ran down her pale face. She thought of Dawn and Faith, and her heart broke when she remembered how things ended between them. She felt horrible when she thought that she might die without sorting things out with her. She sobbed loudly, unable to fight tears anymore.

She just hoped that Liam wouldn't be affected by her disappearance; she hoped they'd find a cool story not to scare him. She wished she had a photo of her friends and Seeley. She had nothing. In this cell, she was nothing.

She cried until she lulled herself in again, and wished she would fall asleep, but the headache just kept getting worse. Tears dried on her face, she was unable to even cry anymore. She just sat there, looking tiny and scared.

And that's what Seeley kept thinking about… how she was all alone and terrified, locked up somewhere like an animal. He couldn't get her out of his head for a moment. Brennan kept telling him to take a rest, eat something and maybe sleep for an hour, but he wouldn't even hear about it.

He'd rented a car to be able to go wherever he wanted and at that moment he was walking towards it with Brennan.

There was a big yellow envelope under the wiper.

His heart beat faster and he opened it. "Bones… they sent me photos."- he said, almost whispering, he was so terrified he'd see her hurt.

She was lying on the bed, sleeping, but he could see she'd been crying, make up was smeared over her face.

"I don't think she's hurt, Bones…"- he said, relieved. He wiped his eyes, she should have been in bed next to him, safe and loved. There were other photos, of two of them together and he swallowed hard.

"How didn't I notice that I was being followed? I should be able to tell when I'm followed!"- he ran his fingers through his hair, exasperated.

When he got to the last photo, where she was sitting on a man's lap he froze.

"What's wrong?"- Bones asked. He was just staring at the photo, trying to remember where he knew the man from. Yes, he was most definitely the paparazzi guy, but he'd seen that face before.

"I know this man from somewhere. I can't remember… God, my head is pounding."- he sat in the car and spent five more minutes staring at the photo.

Brennan looked at the photo more carefully and suddenly grabbed it from his hand. "I recognize him, Booth!"

"You do?"- he looked at her like he might kiss her.

"That's the guy whose wife got sentenced to death penalty for killing their daughter. She kept saying she was innocent, but her fingerprints were on the murder weapon."

Booth felt like he might pass out. "I arrested her, Bones. I condemned her because of that bloody knife. There were her fingerprints and no one bothered to look into it anymore. And now he took Buffy from me. I thought it was a crazed fan, but this is my fault. She's gone because of me!"

He punched the steering wheel hard and banged his head against it. "If she gets hurt, I will resign. I swear I will."- he sobbed and Bones gently squeezed his hand. She couldn't even imagine what he was going through.

"She's gonna be ok, Booth. You'll save her."- Brennan tried to soothe him, but she wasn't too good at it.

"This guy… Bones you don't know how determined he is. He's been following us all and we had no fuckin' clue! He thinks I'm responsible for his wife's imprisonment and he's right… I should have looked deeper into it. It always bugged me a little, but…"

"I can't remember his name, though… You know it, right? You have to call the police, they'll help you out."

He nodded and dialed chief of police's private number. "Chief Thomas? It's Agent Booth. Kidnapper sent me a folder with photos. I know who he is."

"Who is he?"- Chief Thomas asked and started writing down.

"Daniel Holtz. His wife Caroline's in jail for killing their daughter, Sarah. I think he's got another daughter, but I can't remember her name now. I got Caroline arrested and she got death sentence, but she kept saying she was innocent. Now he's trying to save her, and he used Buffy to get to me."

"Thanks for information, Agent Booth. We'll find her, don't worry. Plus, you have FBI looking for her too. She's gonna be ok."

"She better be."- he said shortly and hanged up.

He was so shook up that Bones suggested she should drive and she was quite shocked that he just got out of the car and sat on the passenger's seat without one single word. When he waved with the photos in his hand, Bones noticed something was written on the back.

"Hey, look, they wrote something on the back."-she said and Booth turned all the photos and read their warning, which was written with a black marker.

YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS ALIVE FOR NOW, BUT SHE WON'T BE IF YOU INVOLVE THE COPS. THIS IS YOUR FIGHT, AGENT BOOTH. SORT IT OUT.

He stared at the words, his heart stuck in his throat.

He might have just sentenced Buffy to death as well.

"Booth!"- Brennan yelled and shook him a little, he spaced out. He looked at her, unable to speak, he was terrified.

"Booth, she's gonna be ok. Holtz won't kill her, that wouldn't free his wife. It would just get him imprisoned as well."- Brennan said and she hoped she was right about it.

"He could hurt her."- Booth whispered and closed his eyes when Brennan drove away. "He could hurt her and it would be like I hurt her."

"She's gonna be ok… You'll see. You and I always solve cases. We'll do it this time too, partner."

"Thanks, Bones."- he said and jumped a little when his phone rang.

"Zack? What's up?"- he asked, trying to sound cool and normal.

"We know what Amy Madison was killed with."

"What was it?"

"A walking cane with a silver handle. Someone bashed her head in with it."

"Thanks, Zack."-he said and hanged up, frowning.

"Bones… I think Holtz had something to do with Amy Madison's death as well. She was killed with a walking cane, and he's got one just like it."

"See, the case is building itself. We're gonna get him."- Brennan said, trying to sound sure.

"Things are worse than I'd feared, Bones. I hoped that he wasn't a murderer and that I might get Buffy back unhurt… but if he's already killed Amy and gotten away with it… Bones, we gotta find Buffy as soon as possible."

"We will. You gotta go rest now, though. You've been out and about without stopping and even eating today, Booth. Buffy needs you to be healthy. You can't think if you don't eat. And if you don't think you won't be able to find her."

"Drive me to Willow and Tara. I'll eat and shower there, and try to clear my head."

"Good idea."

She watched him walk away when she stopped the car. He walked like he suddenly ages forty years. Brennan's heart broke for him, and she swore to herself that she'd help him any way she could, even if it meant she'd have to start bashing people's heads in too.


	17. The File

As soon as Booth entered the house, Willow, Tara, Xander and Anya jumped him from all sides. Xander had left Liam at his parents' place. They hadn't been the best parents, but they were brilliant to Liam and Xander was thankful for that.

"Any news about Buffy?"- they asked at once and he told them everything he knew, and then he excused himself and went to shower.

"He looks destroyed."- Tara whispered, and tears welled up in her eyes again. Willow started crying again, and she didn't think she had tears left. Tara cuddled up with her and try to soothe her, but she didn't think it was working.

"I can't imagine what he's going through. I don't know what I'd do in his place."- Xander clutched his fists and took a deep breath, trying not to cry. He had to be strong for his girls.

"Babe, don't…"- he whispered when Anya started going though Buffy's photos again.

"How can people do this?! How could they just take her and tie her up and… she's alone and scared, Xander, and I hate feeling so helpless!"

Everyone got surprised by Anya's outburst; she was shaking with anger, and wiped tears away when they stubbornly ran down her face.

"Buffy's gonna be ok. She has to be. "- Xander said, trying to convince himself mostly.

"You don't know that! He might kill her, like he'd killed Amy. And Amy's boyfriend didn't arrest his wife!"- Anya yelled and stuffed the photos back in their envelope and angrily threw it on the floor.

"Anya, please!"- Willow raised her voice, she couldn't stand hearing another sentence that wasn't 'guys, Buffy is back!'

"You guys always wanna talk, but you never wanna hear the truth!"

Anya was really right about that, but Willow couldn't continue that conversation anyway. "I'm going to lie down for a bit. Wake me up if I fall asleep and something happens."

"Sure, baby. Get some rest."- said Tara and went to boil some tea. Tea was supposed to be soothing; she remembered Giles kept saying that, he was rarely seen without a cup in his hand, or at least on the table.

Dawn and Faith arrived to Los Angeles, and both felt overwhelmed by emotions. Five years away was a long time and they realized they'd missed it quite a bit! If they hadn't come for a horrible reason like Buffy's kidnapping, they would have been quite happy.

"Buffy wanted to stay here; she wasn't planning on coming back to France. Now I really wish she'd change her mind and go back with us. I don't want her to be a target every time Booth makes a mistake."- Dawn said and waved to a cab.

"She would have been safe if she'd stayed with me."- Faith said, and jumped in a cab, and waited for Dawn to tell the driver Willow's address.

"Yeah, cause you two led a totally safe and harmless lifestyle."- Dawn couldn't help saying, thinking of all the drugs, sex and booze.

"At least I never got her kidnapped."- Faith huffed and decided to remain quiet for the rest of the way, cause just bad stuff kept running through her head and she didn't wanna have a fight with Dawn, she knew she was edgy because she was worried about Buffy.

"I'm sorry, Faith. Didn't mean it like that."

"I know. I just… I've never been so worried in my life, D. I want her back. I don't know what I'll do if they hurt her."- Faith covered her face with both hands and realized her hands were shaking.

"You're shaking… come here…"- Dawn pulled Faith into a hug, and two girls held each other until they arrived to Willow's place.

Buffy thought that she'd lose her mind if she stayed there for another minute. The room she was trapped in seemingly kept becoming smaller and smaller and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She even took off her dress and stayed just in her underwear, to breathe easier. She had no more water, and she finished her meal too, and now she was dying for a shower.

She started banging the door because she knew they wouldn't hear her if she yelled.

"She's starting to piss me off."-the woman said and gave her dad the syringe with drugs. "Give these to her; she'll be out at least for a few hours."

Daniel Holtz took the syringe and carefully unlocked the door when the banging finally stopped. He was a bit taken aback when he saw Buffy just in her underwear, she was a really attractive young lady… but, she was also his daughter's age and Holtz considered himself a good, religious man, so he averted his gaze and said "I have to drug you. You've been too loud. Don't fight, I don't wanna hurt you."

"You don't HAVE to drug or hurt me, you could just let me go… come on, please…"- Buffy could see that he wasn't a bad guy and she was really desperate.

"I just want my wife back."- he said, sounding very tired.

"If you let me go, I'll do everything in my power to convince Seeley to re-open her case, and I bet he'll do it 'cause he's a good guy. You really don't have to do this…"

"I do. I want him to feel helpless and hopeless. You're the only person he ever loved, works perfectly."

Buffy looked at the syringe in his hand and swallowed hard. She couldn't just let them do whatever they wanted to her. And she had just stopped using drugs, she couldn't let them hook her right back on.

Holtz wasn't young anymore, she thought she was much faster than him and she gathered all of her force and will and kicked the syringe out of his hand. He yelled in surprise and she ran past him, grabbed the syringe and got out of the cell. She locked him in and squeezed the syringe in her hand, ready to stick it into anyone. She walked towards the exit, her heart pounding in her chest loudly, when she got jumped from the corner, the guy with a sock on his head had a gun pointed at her and she dropped the syringe in shock.

"Good girl. Face against the wall, hands behind your head."- he said and Buffy did as he asked.

"Please, don't shoot…"- she whispered, she really didn't wanna die.

He picked up the syringe and stuck it into her arm so hard she yelled out in pain… but the next moment, she was passed out on the floor.

"She's got balls, I'll give her that. She actually kicked my dad and ran out."- the woman looked a bit impressed. She pulled Buffy back to the cell and handcuffed her to the bed this time, thinking it was maybe time to reveal herself when Buffy wakes up.

Tara answered the door when Dawn knocked and she managed to smile when she saw the two girls, even though it was obvious she had just wiped her tears away.

"Any news?"- Faith asked, not caring about pleasantries at that moment. She lit a cigarette, still feeling shaky.

"Afraid not."- Tara said and invited them in, but Faith decided to stay outside. She needed air and she punched the wall so hard her knuckles started bleeding.

"Dawnie, is that you?"- Booth exclaimed when he came downstairs and saw Buffy's kid sister who was all grown up now, and really beautiful.

"Seeley!"- Dawn ran into his arms and he hugged her tightly.

"Dawnie, I'm gonna find Buffy, I swear."- he said and kissed her forehead, and a pissed off looking Faith said "You better… this is your fuckin' fault!"

"Faith!"-Dawn glared at her, but she couldn't help feeling sorry for the brunette girl, she looked worried and scared off her head. Dawn knew she was doing her best not to go get wasted and she walked over to Faith and tried to get her attention, but her attention was on the photo of Buffy and Booth making out in front of the house.

"Uh-oh."- sighed Dawn and Faith ran out of the house.

Booth ran after her and roughly pulled her hand "You're not helping with your tantrums! I know you care about Buffy, and she cares about you too, so I'll let it slide this once. And, maybe it is my fault, but I'm doing my best to bring her back to us, unharmed! And, by the way, accept that you and Buffy are THROUGH!"

"Fuck you."- she spat out and ran off. She just wanted to be alone. And she wanted to think about what to do cause she didn't wanna be the one that was throwing tantrums, she wanted to help looking for Buffy. It drove her crazy that people thought she wasn't able to do anything just cause she wasn't a cop or a PI. Or maybe Seal thought she wasn't good for doing anything because she liked drugs and alcohol. Faith was many things, but never helpless or useless. She was determined to find her B, no matter what she had to do. The problem was, she had no idea where to start.

She was so tired and worried and lost in thoughts while marching straight ahead, once she looked around, she didn't even know where she was. She used to live in a completely different part of L.A., and not even for a long time, she had been born and raised in Boston.

Booth was pissed off, and pretty dangerous when so mad, so he jumped in his rental car and drove away when he realized that Faith wasn't coming back. He didn't wanna have her on his consciousness too.

His phone rang, the number was hidden, and he said, carefully: "Hello?"

The voice was muffled, but he thought it was female. "Agent Booth? I'm losing my patience, you just keep running around and not really looking into my mother's file, as much as I can see."

He pulled over, unable to concentrate on traffic around him.

"My partner is…"- he shut up when he remembered he'd been told to work alone.

"Your partner, huh? Well, my partner is about to beat the shit out of your girl. I warned you. And the more you stall, the more I'll keep her here, and hurt her if you don't start working on my mother's case properly."

"STOP, PLEASE, NOOOO!"- he heard Buffy's screams and yelled in the phone "OK, ENOUGH, I GOT IT, I'M HEADING TO THE POST OFFICE, THE FILE'S BEEN SENT TO ME, AND I WILL WORK ON IT, I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, BUT DON'T HURT HER!"

The screams subsided and he took a deep breath and realized his hands were shaking. The woman chuckled and said "Good boy."

"I will have to examine your sister's bones, though, and my partner, Dr. Brennan is the best… If anyone can find out who killed your sister and what with, it's her. I'm useless in that department; I can just go through witnesses and files again. Let me work with her."

She hated it, but she had to agree with Booth. "Fine, but only her. I'll be watching you, Agent Booth, don't play with me. Next time I might send you a bit of Buffy in the envelope. Don't fuck with me."

Shivers ran through his body when she said that and he wanted to say something else, but the call was over. He kept driving, trying to clear his head, when he saw Faith standing on a crossroad and smoking.

"Faith, get in!"

She scowled, but tossed the cigarette away and jumped in his car. His eyes were teary and she couldn't help feeling sorry for him.

"Sorry I attacked you earlier. You just got her back and she vanished."- Faith apologized, feeling really crappy. "I just hate it that she loves YOU after all those years. But, I don't care whom she loves, I just want her to be ok."

"Thanks, Faith. Well, I just got her beat up accidentally, so feel free to hate me as much as you want. I hate myself more."

"WHAT?!"-she yelled, sorry that she apologized. She was so angry she wanted to break his neck at that moment. He explained everything and Faith clutched her fists and pointedly ignored him for the rest of the drive.

He picked up the file from the post office and Faith took it from him. "You drive, I wanna see who those people are. So I know who to strangle if I cross paths with them."

She opened the file and kept turning pages until she found photos of the Holtz family. She didn't recognize them… but when she got to the last photo, her eyes widened and she opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but she was unable to.

"What is it, Faith?"- he looked at the photo of Holtz's older daughter, he still couldn't remember her name. "Do you know her?"

"She… she was a photographer in Paris. She used to work with B a lot. They hung out sometimes, which made me a bit jealous, so I avoided her. B was her favorite model… now I know why she actually wanted to hang with her. She called herself Lilah Morgan. I don't know if that's her real name. Fuckin' bitch!"- Faith stared at the photo, her eyes shooting daggers.

"Morgan. Caroline's maiden surname."- Booth remembered.

"So, it's Lilah who's got her. I've always wanted to punch her, and can't wait to be able to do it."- Faith gritted her teeth.

"I'd never hit a woman… but I will shoot her if I need to."- Booth said, also through his teeth, and Faith looked at him, and couldn't help smiling.

"That's my boy. I'm starting to see why B loves you so much."

"Right back at you."- Booth said and smiled.


	18. Revelations

While Booth and Faith, who wouldn't give up on helping him with the investigation, were going through files and talking to people that had already been interrogated during the first investigations, which was very sloppy, now that Booth clearly thought about it; Brennan was examining Sarah Holtz's little skeleton.

The girl was twelve years old and they all thought that her own mother had killed her. She couldn't believe that Booth and the rest of the FBI and police force agreed on that just because the woman held a bloody knife.

If they'd really thought about it, they would have seen that the person needed to be way stronger and taller to cause such damage to the girl's bones, which were cracked on several places. It seemed that the man, Bones was completely sure it had been a man who killed her, had her pinned down to the floor with this knee, probably, as he stabbed her over and over.

The victim's pelvic bone was also damaged, and Bones wondered if the girl had been raped too. She shuddered; she hated to even think about that scenario.

Suddenly Brennan felt overwhelming anger that made her face redden. It wasn't like Booth to overlook all of those facts; it looked like someone in the FBI was trying to hush it all up a little.

 _Who the hell was the person that did this to this little girl and ruined her family completely? Who could hate like that?_ \- Brennan thought, staring at the little skeleton before her.

She missed her team; she knew they would manage to soften the blow a little. Especially Angela, who would ask her 'Sweetie, are you ok?' and she'd tell her about the weight that was pressing on her shoulders.

Having Booth around to work with her usually had a calming effect, but this time it wasn't the case. She even ignored his call because she wasn't ready to talk to him, she was too mad because he'd just given up on that case so quickly. She was starting to understand all the anger and frustration the Holtz family must have been feeling when they went as far as kidnapping Buffy.

It wasn't right. Buffy had nothing to do with it and she was paying for it. Bones felt another wave of anger pass through her body and she forced herself to call Booth back.

He answered immediately "Hey, partner, got any news?"

She told him everything she'd discovered and he felt a lump in his throat, one that he just wasn't able to swallow down.

Guilt was eating him up. He'd done things that he wasn't proud of, but letting that little girl and his family down weighed down on him hard. He felt like he couldn't breathe when he imagined that someone from the FBI might have hushed it all up.

He felt like the floor was moving beneath him and he sat back down. Bones sounded very cold and reserved too, and he had to ask her "Do you blame me for this?"

"Not entirely because I think you'd been played, but I am mad that you just let it go. I don't know how you managed to live with it."

"I've learned to live with many things. But, they seem to be coming back to punch me in the face. Buffy is in trouble because of me, Bones."- he rubbed his temples and swallowed tears, but Faith noticed his dark eyes darken for another shade and she squeezed his hand.

"You have to take this story to the press and tell them it was your mistake if you want to see Buffy again. I gotta go."- Brennan said, she needed a drink, and she needed a friend, but wasn't ready to hang with Booth yet, so she just headed to a bar across the street.

Bones hanged up and Booth looked into Faith's eyes and clenched his jaw, trying to stop the tears that were burning his dark eyes. "If I had just solved this case back then…"- he flipped the whole table over, causing Faith to jump away.

"Dude! Calm down!"- she yelled and watched him take deep breaths before he punched in the number to call the press.

He paced around as gave them a lengthy explanation about the re-opening of the old case, but he never mentioned that it was the Holtz family who had Buffy. He didn't wanna piss them off; he wanted them to know that he was doing his best to right the wrong that had been done to them.

Lilah, Daniel and Lilah's boyfriend, Lindsey McDonald looked up at the TV when they heard the Breaking News was coming on next. They thought it might be about Buffy, but then they heard Booth's voice, which sounded a bit shaky, they noticed, pleased about it.

"I'll be damned, they found new evidence."- Daniel Holtz said and looked at his daughter, who was smiling.

"Well, duh! They should have known that a woman couldn't have hurt Sarah like that! Idiots, all of them."

She grinned and kissed Lindsey hard, and then decided to go see Buffy. She took a bottle of water and a few sandwiches and opened the door.

The petite blonde was cuffed to the bed, and Lilah thought it was a bit funny how Buffy's eyes widened in shock when she recognized her.

"L-Lilah?"- she asked, frowning, she wasn't even sure if she was awake or not.

"Hey, Buffy. I have some good news for you. That Brennan chick made a discovery about the murder of my sister, so my mom will have to be released soon. I actually like you, I'm sorry it had to be this way."

"Let me go, you crazy bitch! I thought you were my friend! I let you in my house, hanged out with you, I trusted you! How could you do this to me?!"- Buffy felt tears burn her eyes and she would have jumped off the bed if she hadn't been cuffed when Lilah sat next to her and wiped her tears away.

"Desperate times, desperate measures. I'm sorry it had to be you, but Booth never cared about anyone else enough to get under his skin."

"You ordered that guy to beat me up!"- Buffy yelled again, she could feel a bruise on her face, it hurt. There was another one just under her ribs.

"He just punched you a few times, Buffy. I just wanted to scare Booth with your screams and it worked. To be honest, I had thought about hurting you in different ways, but your honey is just so complying, there was no need. You hungry, thirsty?"

Buffy asked for water and a shower, and she was surprised when Lilah leaned a bottle on her lips and let her drink and then she disappeared for ten minutes. She led the blondie to the bathroom, where a bubbly bath awaited.

Lilah removed her cuffs, but locked the door behind Buffy when she entered the bathroom.

Ah, that bubble bath felt so good, Buffy relaxed enough to start nodding off… It seemed that things were starting to get better and she hoped that Seeley would come take her home soon. And then she wanted to just disappear somewhere with him.

But, her brain wouldn't let her relax enough to fall asleep completely.

She wondered if Dawnie and Faith knew about this. She had no idea that she was huge news all over, she never really thought of herself as a star, despite her fortune. She kinda considered herself a huge failure because she'd left Seeley and gotten lost in the world of drugs and alcohol. She still felt that drug Lilah's boyfriend knocked her out with… She would have welcomed it just a few weeks ago, but now she just desperately wanted to shake off the feeling.

After inhaling deeply, Buffy dived in the water, held her breath as long as she could and dived right out… It was buzzing in her ears a little, but her head was much clearer. She got out of the bath, wrapped herself in a fuzzy bathrobe and knocked on the door. Lilah opened it straight away, and led her back to her own little prison that started feeling a little less like it.

"Thanks, I needed this."- Buffy said and couldn't help smiling when she saw HER OWN clothes waiting for her on the bed. "You stole my clothes while you were in Paris with me? That would be so pervy if I didn't know why."

"Get over yourself, Summers, not everybody wants to fuck you."- Lilah said, but smiling this time. She actually liked Buffy and her company, despite herself. She didn't really wanna like her, but she was cute and quirky. Maybe a little messed up, but never rude or mean to anyone. So, kidnapping her wasn't much fun. Messing with Booth's head was fun, though.

Booth received a message from Buffy's captors and it said 'Keep up the good work' and he gasped when he saw a photo of her on the bed, wearing a cute pink top and white tights. She had a bruise on her face and her left hand was cuffed to the bed, but she didn't look too hurt or terrified.

"What is it?"- Faith asked and grabbed his phone when she saw Buffy's photo.

"She's got a bruise."- she said, her eyes sparkling with tears. "But, she doesn't look bad per se. She doesn't look scared, that's good, right?"

"Yeah, that's good. We're gonna get her back, Faith. Now we can prove that Mrs. Holtz didn't kill little Sarah, we'll have her back in no time…"

Faith was so relieved, tears ran down her face and she jumped on Seeley and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back, feeling her shiver as she cried on his shoulder. She couldn't hold it in anymore, and she couldn't believe she was crying on HIS shoulder, of all people.


	19. The End of One Chapter

It sounded like a table had been turned, there were crashing noises coming from upstairs, from Buffy's bedroom, and the Gang got worried and ran upstairs. Just Tara stayed downstairs with little Annie, who started crying when she heard the noise.

"We shouldn't have let them work alone up there, Faith can be a total… firecracker when she's mad."- Dawn said and burst into the room, expecting them to be glaring at each other and swearing a lot, but they were- hugging.

"Have we just entered an alternate dimension?"- Dawn asked, confused, but glad they weren't at each other's throats.

Faith started explaining what had happened and Seeley showed them Buffy's photo.

"So, she should be released soon, right?"- Dawn asked, feeling so relieved, she wanted to jump through the ceiling.

"As soon as all the paperwork is done and Mrs. Holtz walks out."- said Seeley, smiling.

But, bureaucracy wasn't always fast, and after days of being imprisoned, Buffy started thinking she'd lose her mind. Her captors weren't violent or mean to her, she was regularly fed and showered, but she just couldn't stand being locked up anymore. Her restless spirit was screaming inside her, she just wanted to go out, breathe the air, go for a long walk to stretch her legs and she wanted to go to a wild party and get drunk, but she figured she'd have to skip that one and just find another way to unwind. Her lips curled into a little smile when she thought- _Sex. Sex with Seeley. Lots of it._

"I thought it would take a day or two, it's been 5 days, what the hell are they waiting for?!"- Faith yelled, passing through the house like a hurricane, until she got out on the porch and lit at least tenth cigarette that day, and it was barely noon.

"Mrs. Holtz should be released today, in a couple of hours. Faith… calm down, Seeley is in women's prison now, sorting things out, she'll be back soon."- Dawn said and gently patted Faith's shoulder…

"She better be. Or I'll go kidnap the woman from the prison and keep her here."

Faith looked so serious and Dawn didn't know if she was just saying it or really considered doing it.

"Come on, firecracker, I'll make you a cup of tea, you gotta relax a little…"

"She's YOUR sister, why aren't you freaking out?!"

"Faith, I've been so freaked out I haven't even slept more than an hour a night since I got here! But throwing tantrums just makes everyone else edgy, and you're making yourself feel worse."

"Just leave me alone ok? I don't need no tea or anything. I just want B back."- her voice turned into a whisper when she said the last part of the sentence.

Dawn decided not to comment anything, she didn't think that hearing that Buffy wasn't gonna go back to her, but to Seeley would improve her mood. And it wasn't like Faith didn't know that, she was just in denial.

Seeley saw Mr. Holtz in front of jail and he looked hard to see if he had Buffy with him, but there was no sign of her. He just hoped that they weren't playing him; he thought he might start shooting. Mrs. Holtz was so happy she was freed; she hugged him tightly, sobbing and thanking him endlessly.

He didn't wanna tell her that her family abducted his girlfriend; he decided to leave it up to Buffy to sue them and make a spectacle of it. Somehow he didn't think she'd be up for it.

Lilah and Lindsey were watching news and when she saw her mother step out of jail, she couldn't stop a tear. Booth made it happen.

 _I made it happen._ -Lilah thought, kissed Lindsey hard and went to unlock Buffy's door. The blondie wasn't cuffed for bed anymore, she was applying make-up on her pretty face and she was smiling widely when Lilah opened the door.

"Can I go now?"

"You can go now."- Lilah said and looked away when she added "I'm sorry about this. I'll understand if you sue us for harassment and kidnapping. At least I'd be guilty of it. My mom wasn't."

"It's… I can… I can just say that I got so wasted at a party and lost track of time cause of drugs. The press knows my problems already and bad publicity isn't always bad. But, please, don't kidnap me again."

"I won't. Thank Booth for me."

"I will."- Buffy said and left. They were in the L.A. suburbs so she put big sunglasses on, called for a cab and headed home.

It all ended well… She hoped Seeley would be there so she could jump into his arms and just enjoy the safety of his embrace and his kisses… At one point she was afraid that she'd never see him again.

She tipped the cabbie generously and ran toward the house. "Buffy! Oh, oh my god, you're back!"- Tara exclaimed and hugged her tightly and a second later the whole Gang ran to the lobby to greet her.

"I'm back… I'm back…"- she whispered, tears running down her face, she felt overwhelmed with love.

"I'm… Oh my god… Faith… Dawn!"- Buffy looked at them, hardly believing they were standing before her. She pulled them both into a tight hug and cried on Faith's shoulder. The brunette girl couldn't stop the tears and she was trying really hard to act cool.

"You came… cause of me…"- she sobbed and Dawn whispered in her ear

"Of course we came, dumbass. You scared us half to death."

"B… you're back. You're back."- Faith sobbed, all of her body shook with relief and happiness and tears that kept running down her cheeks. Dawn moved away to let Faith hug Buffy properly and she just held her, running her fingers through Buffy's hair gently.

"You scared me… I thought… I thought I wouldn't get a chance to… to fix things between us. I just wanted my buddy back. I love you."

"God, Faith, you have no idea what this means to me."- Buffy cried and kissed Faith's face, not letting go of her. She didn't even know that she'd missed her that bad until she was in her arms.

"Boy, I bet Seeley would be jealous if he saw them hug and kiss like that!"- Xander commented and Willow kinda melted. She never thought that Buffy would have such deep feelings for another woman. She loved Seeley but her lesbian heart shipped Buffy and Faith.

"Is she…?"- Seeley burst into the house and felt jealousy surge through him when he saw Buffy in Faith's arms.

"Sexual tension you could cut with a knife."- Anya commented when Buffy and Faith separated and when Buffy ran into Seeley's arms.

Dawn patted Faith's shoulder; she could practically hear her heart break when Seeley caught her into his arms and started spinning around and kissing her deeply.

"God Buffy… I'm not letting you out of my sight anymore. I'm so so so sorry."- Seeley kissed her, making her heart beat like crazy.

He kissed her lips, face, eyes, neck, hands… He couldn't remember ever feeling happier and more relieved.

"You ok, sweetie?"- Tara asked Faith, who was looking for cigarettes in her pockets and trying not to cry.

"Five by five."- she said and ran out.

"Faith…"- Dawn whispered, feeling so sorry for her. The brunette girl looked so sad it was breaking her heart just to look at her.

Faith inhaled deeply and burst into tears, angry at herself because she let herself fall in love when it was supposed to be just about sex. She didn't think it was possible to hurt that bad. She wanted to hate Seeley and Buffy, but she couldn't and it drove her even madder. Why did they have to be so good, so nice and perfect? They made a good couple; she could see that even though it was breaking her stupid heart.

She didn't even hear Dawn, but when the younger girl pulled her into a hug, she accepted it.

"I know it hurts, Faith, but you have to move on. And do it without drugs and alcohol, please. I hate to see you suffer and destroy yourself."- Dawn whispered in her ear and Faith knew what she was saying was smart, but she couldn't move on just yet, as much as she wished it.

"Buffy, do you need anything? Are you hungry? Thirsty?"- her friends kept asking, and she had to smile.

"No, guys, I'm fine, really. I know I gave you a scare… I just… I'm happy to be home. And I think I should talk to Faith."- she looked at Seeley when she said that, and he nodded.

"It's ok, Buffy. She really cares about you; it must be hard for her. She was helping me out the whole time. She was as desperate as I was. She grew on me, I like her."

"I'm glad you guys get along. I love you, Angel."- she said to him and kissed him again and then went out to talk to Faith.

Her heart broke completely when she saw Faith cry on Dawn's shoulder. Her eyes were closed, but tears just kept coming.

"Hey."- Buffy whispered, feeling like she was intruding… She buried her hands in her jeans' pockets and said: "I was hoping we could talk. I… I'll understand if you don't want to, though. I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done, for helping Seeley… and for… for loving me the way you do even though I don't deserve it."- Buffy started crying too, she couldn't stand seeing Faith that hurt.

She deserved to be loved cause she was an amazing woman.

Dawn felt like the third wheel and excused herself, leaving two girls alone. "Let's go for a walk..."- Buffy suggested and Faith nodded and they just walked in silence for ten minutes. When they arrived to a park, they sat on a bench, facing each other. Faith had wiped her tears away, but Buffy still gently touched her cheek and whispered:

"I never meant to hurt you, Faith. You gotta believe me. Please, don't stop being my friend. I'll give you time, I'll understand… but I need you in my life."

"I thought I could do it, you know, just move on. But when I saw you on the news… I've never been so scared in my life, B. I like Seeley, but you have no idea how much I wanna kiss you now."

"Faith… I can't… umm, until when are you staying?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning. No point in staying here, is it?"

"You'll find someone who'll love you the way you deserve, I'm sure of it. You and I were great at sex, but bad at everything else, really. We never even made love… and you usually just left as soon as you could feel your legs. I don't think we ever really just slept together and cuddled, and 5 years is a lot."

"I'm bad at that, B. But, I liked thinking that you were mine. Well… I guess you never were, were you?"

"I was. A part of me, and it will always be yours."

"Yeah, that wild part. But the BUFFY part has always been his. Anyway… I'm just glad you're back and you're safe and happy. That's all I want for you."

"Thank you, Faith. I really… thank you."- Buffy smiled, swallowing tears.

Before she could say anything else, Faith pulled her into a deep kiss. It surprised her and made her cheeks burn, but she didn't break it straight away. She felt she owed it to her- a goodbye kiss.

Faith broke the kiss, stared into Buffy's eyes for a moment and whispered: "Goodbye."

She walked away, her hands deep in her pockets and Buffy just continued sitting there. She watched her leave and she couldn't move. One part of her life just ended, and it was time for a new beginning.


	20. The New Beginning

Faith decided it was best to leave Los Angeles without saying goodbye. She didn't want anyone's pity and she didn't want to hear things like 'You're gonna find someone who deserves you'. It was bullshit. It's not like she really deserved anyone or anything. That's what she kept telling herself, because she spent most of her life doing shit that hurt her and people she cared about.

She realized that she never tried to have a normal relationship with Buffy because she didn't think she deserved her. Seal deserved her. He was a good guy who would never hurt her. He got her hurt, accidentally, and Faith could see it was eating him up and she knew he'd do everything in his power to keep it from happening again.

She was on a plane back to Paris, and she promised herself it would be different this time. It was time to get clean and work hard, because she actually loved her job. Buffy wouldn't want her to drown in sadness and booze, so she decided not to allow it to happen.

The next chapter in her life was about to begin, and Faith was excited and terrified at the same time.

 _Goodbye, B.-_ she thought and allowed tears to run down her face, for the last time.

Buffy walked around L.A. until she was sure there were no tears left to cry. Her eyes were red and puffy and she put sunglasses on, sat in a bar and ordered a large coffee with milk. She needed to pull herself together before going home. Faith wouldn't be there, she knew. Hell, she was probably already on a plane back to France. None of them was good with goodbyes, especially when they needed to say goodbye to each other.

Through the years of their 'relationship', they'd tried to end it many times, but after yelling and throwing stuff at each other and storming out, they'd come back an hour later for make-up sex.

This time it was really over.

 _Goodbye, Fai.-_ Buffy thought and let one more tear run roll down her cheek.

Booth was on his phone to the FBI. After freeing Holtz's wife, he decided to back away from the case. Still, he couldn't let them get away with murder. He was completely sure that Amy Madison was killed with his cane, and he had to share his theory with colleagues in the FBI. He just had to make sure that the family Holtz knew he was off the case. No way that Buffy would ever again get hurt because of his mistakes. He didn't think he'd ever forgive it to himself, but he was determined to make it up to her.

He'd never used his holidays since he joined the FBI, and it was time to do it, to spend as much time with Buffy as possible. He managed to get two months off and he booked plane tickets to Australia. Buffy had always wanted to go there. He still remembered every dream she had, and dreams they had together. It was finally time to make them come true.

The Gang was in the living room, hanging out, when he got downstairs. He scanned the room for Buffy and Faith but none of them was back.

"Have you heard from Buffy?"- Willow asked as soon as he sat on the couch.

"No, I haven't. I was about to ask you the same thing."- he answered and decided to text her.

'HEY, BABE, WHEN ARE YOU COMING BACK? I GOT A SURPRISE FOR YA.'

Buffy's phone buzzed and she just had to smile when she read his text. 'A SURPRISE? WHAT IS IT? I'LL BE BACK SOON, I'M IN A TAXI.'

'YOU DO KNOW THE MEANING OF THE WORD, RIGHT? SEE YA IN A BIT, BABE.'

Coffee helped, Buffy felt a bit better. She often thought of coffee as an invisible hug from a best friend. She looked through the taxi window like she's seeing Los Angeles for the first time. Her lips curled into a little smile when she thought that her Angel was waiting for her at home, with a surprise.

As soon as the taxi stopped in front of the house, Seeley ran out. He'd told the Gang about the surprise and they glued themselves to the window to see Buffy's reaction.

She ran into his open arms and kissed him with all she had, and when the kiss ended, good two minutes later, Booth took out his phone and showed her the booked flight.

"OH MY GOD!"- Buffy couldn't believe her eyes and she had to read it twice, and then she jumped into his arms and kissed him again, holding him tightly. "Oh my god, I love you so much…"- she said and kissed him again. Going to Australia with Seeley, that was a dream come true, and she couldn't believe it. "But, what about your job?"- she asked, staring into his deep brown eyes with so much love, he almost melted.

"Got unused vacation. Two months in Australia, baby."- he kissed her slowly. "Have you been crying, beautiful?"- he asked her, her eyes were still a bit puffy.

"The whole thing with Faith really got to me, but I'm much better now. You're here and… we're going to Australia!"- she yelled and he started spinning around, holding her in his arms tightly. Their laughter and Buffy's squeals made the Gang smile widely, they were adorable.

"I think we need to celebrate!"- Willow said and took a bottle of champagne they'd been saving for special occasions. Tara took their fancy glasses and they got out of the house. The lovebirds were kissing and Willow cleared her throat and yelled:

"Time for champagne!"

She opened the bottle and the champagne sprayed them all, they laughed and cheered and Buffy realized she was happy. After all this time, she was just so happy.

They drank and hugged and kissed and it was beautiful. Little Annie giggled, she loved the sound of laughter, and Liam ran into Buffy's arms and she picked him up and started spinning. Seeley pulled her and the kid into a tight hug and said "So, how many sons and daughters do you want?"

"I want a son and a daughter, but don't even think about having five kids, Mister!"

"Why noooot?"

"Oh, shut up!"- Buffy kissed him passionately and Liam's little hands pulled her lips away from Seeley's and he said "Eww!"

Everybody laughed and Buffy kissed the boy and said "I love you too, don't worry!"

Dawn was so happy to see her sister laughing and smiling, she looked like a totally new person. She couldn't help thinking about Faith and how she was, though. She'd tried texting her, but never received the delivery report- she must have turned her phone off.

"Can I hug my sister now? You handsome guys totally stole her from me!"- Dawn smiled and Buffy handed Liam to Seeley, who looked totally in love with the little man, it made her melt.

Dawn hugged her sister tightly and said "It's so good to see you happy again, Buffy. I love you. I'll miss you in Paris, so much…"

"I'll come visit, don't worry… God, Dawnie, I'm so proud of you. Love you more than you could ever imagine."

"I'm proud of you too. Hey, Seeley… make her happy, ok? Don't make me come chase you with a shovel."

"Yes, ma'am."- Seeley said and grinned and Dawn hugged him too.

Everybody looked so happy, they were having fun and Dawn had to take a bunch of photos to look at them when she starts missing them all.

It was a wonderful day, and they drank the rest of champagne when they saw the news- Lilah Morgan got arrested for murder of Amy Madison. She broke down and confessed to the crime as soon as they took the cane to examine it.

It was a good day, and Buffy was looking forward to having many, many more.


End file.
